Bull fertility: how early?

[Putangitangi]

I have some bad little bulls which have worked their way through some fencing to their sisters' paddock. The bulls are around seven months old. What are the chances of their still not being quite up to the job they wanted to do? There was a bit of discussion on this last year but I wondered if anyone had any further thoughts.

I'll get prostaglandin shots for the heifers I am about to sell, just to be sure, and the others I'll watch carefully, until I see heats or signs of other trouble.

The bulls are still on their mothers, getting up near 650# by now, looking like they'd do the business, but I've not seen any real ability displayed as yet.

 

[KNERSIE]

its highly unlikely that any of them would be able to settle a heifer. If the were around 10 months and older I would have been worried.

 

[msscamp]

What are the chances of their still not being quite up to the job they wanted to do? There was a bit of discussion on this

It's entirely possible, but then again it's also entirely possible that some have hit sexual maturity. I must admit, I'm curious as to why they have not been weaned and seperated from the girls?

 

[Putangitangi]

It's entirely possible, but then again it's also entirely possible that some have hit sexual maturity. I must admit, I'm curious as to why they have not been weaned and seperated from the girls?

The youngest of the group has only just tipped six months, the oldest only 231 days, I have grass, so I haven't weaned them yet. The heifers were a weaned group in a separate paddock, but I had an electric fence fault and the bulls discovered an opportunity.

 

[msscamp]

It's entirely possible, but then again it's also entirely possible that some have hit sexual maturity. I must admit, I'm curious as to why they have not been weaned and seperated from the girls?

The youngest of the group has only just tipped six months, the oldest only 231 days, I have grass, so I haven't weaned them yet. The heifers were a weaned group in a separate paddock, but I had an electric fence fault and the bulls discovered an opportunity.

So, based on a 30 day month, the oldest are pushing 8 months. I believe I would be weaning them and getting them into more secure housing arrangements. It will just be easier to manage them, and more beneficial all the way around.

 

[Putangitangi]

I've been quite relaxed about weaning them until I need to - have a MG friend who routinely weans at 9 months - calves July, weans around now.
Certainly they're due to be done and it's now a matter of which paddocks are available where, around a reseeding programme shutting up half the farm!

 

[msscamp]

MG as in Murray Grey's? If so, I'm a bit surprised he hasn't been caught yet. We've raised Murray Grey's for the last 30 years or so and, despite our practice of weaning at 6 months of age and seperating the bulls from the heifers, have had a few heifers calve right around 12 months of age due to early maturation. Granted, ours were bred by the herd bull, but I'm still a little surprised he hasn't had his 9 month old bull calves create a little 4-legged mischief. Does he happen to run his bulls year round?

 

[Putangitangi]

No, she's never been caught except in situations like mine. We both separate bull calves and their mothers from heifers at around four months and run two separate cow/calf mobs for safety. There are rarely such problems. I saw the first heat in a heifer calf this year at just under five months, but since I had pulled mating forward for next year, the bulls were already out, fortunately.

 

[hillsdown]

MG as in Murray Grey's? We've raised Murray Grey's for the last 30 years or so and, despite our practice we have had a few heifers calve right around 12 months of age due to early maturation.

WOW that is an early maturity 3-4 months of age to reach breeding maturity.Murray Greys should be used in alot of cross breeding programs to shorten the cycle.That is very impressive.I was completely unfamiliar with the breed before and have seen a few pics lately ;very nice full bodied ;fleshy animals.

 

[msscamp]

MG as in Murray Grey's? We've raised Murray Grey's for the last 30 years or so and, despite our practice we have had a few heifers calve right around 12 months of age due to early maturation.

WOW that is an early maturity 3-4 months of age to reach breeding maturity.Murray Greys should be used in alot of cross breeding programs to shorten the cycle.That is very impressive.I was completely unfamiliar with the breed before and have seen a few pics lately ;very nice full bodied ;fleshy animals.

The biggest obstacle Murray Grey's face is the fact that so few people know anything about them. They are an absolutely awesome breed! Very good mothers, very good milkers, low birth weight, yet they grow like weeds once they hit the ground, docile, easy to handle, one of the few breeds that can finish exclusively on grass, good marbling, the list goes on and on. Fortunately, the early maturation is not something that happens on a very regular basis - I mean think about it. We calved from mid-March to the first of June, factor in a 60 day breeding season starting the first part of June, and there would be hell to pay if early maturation was a standard thing! :shock: Thanks to the low birth weights, the heifers in question had their calves with some help as opposed to cesaeran(sp?), and went on to take productive places in the herd, but I sure wouldn't want to have a whole bunch of heifers calving at 12 months of age! :shock:

 

[waihou]

Hi everyone, I'm the Murray Grey breeder Putangitangi mentioned. I've lurked on here for awhile and as I too come from the Land of the Long White cloud- New Zealand, some of the terms used here are a little unfamiliar-so I've been learning!

Yes, we seperate bull calves and their dams from the heifer calves and their dams when they are about 4-5 months of age. We calve July/August and wean in April. I don't usually see heifers cycling till they are about 6 months but more usually 7 to 8 months. In 28 years of breeding Murray Greys I have been caught twice with heifers still on their dams, visited by a bull who ignored a couple of gates in the way. Both times they calved at around 17 months of age and unassisted.

Yes, they are a lovely breed, and not very numerous in NZ, one of the minority beef breeds- but quite popular for use in dairy herds over first calving dairy bred heifers. I may just have to post some photos!

 

[kiwimoo]

I would have no doubt your little bulls could be mischeif. We breed Gelbvieh her in NZ, and know that we have to run the entire and female calves separate from about 3-4months for that very reason. Certainly a PG would be a good idea.

 

[Putangitangi]

I would have no doubt your little bulls could be mischeif. We breed Gelbvieh here in NZ, and know that we have to run the entire and female calves separate from about 3-4months for that very reason. Certainly a PG would be a good idea.

Unfortunately that'll be PG x 20, unless I can eliminate some from my enquiries over the next few days as they come on heat. :roll: