Hoping I can get some good advice. I have been having a streak of bad luck with bulls. I utilize a 60 day breeding season in May/June in east TX. Last year I had a 7 year old brangus bull with a 2 year old brangus bull on roughly 50 cows. The younger bull wound up with a fractured rear leg. This year I had the same older brangus bull with a 2 year old brangus bull and 3 year old angus bull in with 65 head cows. The angus bull wound up paralyzed in his rear end. My bulls run together in a pasture during the remainder of the year, don't seem to have any issues other than breeding season. Anyone have any luck with certain strategies?
Bull Injuries
- Thread starter klholt
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To my understanding they need to all be the same age and size? Even better if they grew up together.
I hear of quite a few people running mismatched bulls together successfully. The only time I had two mature bulls they tore up all kinds of fence. One was 5 and the other was maybe 2. The big one kept whooping that a$$
I hear of quite a few people running mismatched bulls together successfully. The only time I had two mature bulls they tore up all kinds of fence. One was 5 and the other was maybe 2. The big one kept whooping that a$$
GoWyo
Well-known member
Your older bull has figured out how to hit the younger bull right as he is making his jump to mount a cow. The bull mounting is in a vulnerable position with all his weight on two legs and getting hammered then. Breaking stifles, back injuries, etc. Maybe run one bull for a week or two and then rotate him out and run the other. Or get rid of the old brangus bull.
It's been my experience; the younger bull generally isn't stupid enough to challenge the older bull when they're turned out unless/until the younger bull is similar size.
On the flip side, I've been running Woody & Willy together for almost 5 years (same age). They grew up together, Woody is clearly the Alpha bull, and I've never seen them do more than the "normal" occasional head butting.
I had one bull stifle a few years ago, but that was right after I pulled them off the cows and moved them back to the bull pasture.
On the flip side, I've been running Woody & Willy together for almost 5 years (same age). They grew up together, Woody is clearly the Alpha bull, and I've never seen them do more than the "normal" occasional head butting.
I had one bull stifle a few years ago, but that was right after I pulled them off the cows and moved them back to the bull pasture.
farmerjan
Well-known member
Agree with @GoWyo ... we ran cattle next to another farmer. His bull kept fighting through the fence so we planned to take our bull out... found him with a broken leg the next day when we went there to catch him. Neighbor got his bull out, no apologies, nothing.
Put a different bull in with ours a week later... neighbors bull came across to fight again... and we saw him hit our bull from the side as he was mounting a cow. LUCKILY no permanent damage to our bull... but we called neighbor, he came and got him out, again... 2 days later he was back and ramming our bull....called neighbor AGAIN, and said that if his bull came across the fence again, he would be shot after watching that action...he finally moved him to another place... and not long after heard from a bordering farmer that the bull had gotten into his pasture, and rammed his bull and it looked like it was badly hurt... vet was coming to look at him. That bull was just rank and had a bad attitude and KNEW what he was doing...
I think your older bull is the same way...
Bulls are high at the sale... ship him before you lose any more good breeding animals.
Put a different bull in with ours a week later... neighbors bull came across to fight again... and we saw him hit our bull from the side as he was mounting a cow. LUCKILY no permanent damage to our bull... but we called neighbor, he came and got him out, again... 2 days later he was back and ramming our bull....called neighbor AGAIN, and said that if his bull came across the fence again, he would be shot after watching that action...he finally moved him to another place... and not long after heard from a bordering farmer that the bull had gotten into his pasture, and rammed his bull and it looked like it was badly hurt... vet was coming to look at him. That bull was just rank and had a bad attitude and KNEW what he was doing...
I think your older bull is the same way...
Bulls are high at the sale... ship him before you lose any more good breeding animals.
farmerjan
Well-known member
We will put one bull in with cows and then in 30-45 days, put another in... ages don't seem to matter with ours... sometimes we take the first one out, sometimes not... depending on which pasture and if there are handling facilities... mostly we put in a young one as a clean up and they seem to always do a little head pushing and then get over it. Anyone with a continuing problem gets a new address to call home... Bulls will be bulls... but they don't need to have bad attitudes to be a..holes to each other...
Ky hills
Well-known member
I agree with others, it sounds like the older bull has a habit of hitting the other bulls in a compromised position.
I've run two or three bulls together fairly often, Had an awful round of fighting with 3 of the same age and from the same farm. One got injured and had to be sold.
Lately I've been running 2 that are a year apart in age. They pushed around on each other some but the bigger one always got his point across and it never escalated.
Bulls are bulls but yet they are all different individuals.
I've run two or three bulls together fairly often, Had an awful round of fighting with 3 of the same age and from the same farm. One got injured and had to be sold.
Lately I've been running 2 that are a year apart in age. They pushed around on each other some but the bigger one always got his point across and it never escalated.
Bulls are bulls but yet they are all different individuals.
Ebenezer
Well-known member
The most unsafe bull to handle is an old alpha bull that has been dethroned and knows it. He can become a handling nightmare. To preserve bulls I just run one per breeding group. Lost a bull a few years back that thought that he ought to get in the other bull's pasture. Not worth the loss to me to risk otherwise.
coachg
Well-known member
Any way to split and separate the herd into 2 smaller groups ?
