SRBeef
Well-known member
Beginner bull management question:
Background: I bought a bull last year - first one I've had. Previously rented one - in and out in 6 weeks or so. My purchased bull is a polled Hereford with a good disposition (so far - for a bull).
Current situation: Bull was put in with the cows and yearling heifers in July and been with them ever since. They have been grazing standing unharvested corn since early October with plenty of good hay, minerals and water. They seem to have developed a way of controlling their corn intake and do eat some hay but hay consumption is greatly reduced from last year with the grazing corn.
Weaned steer and heifer calves have been in an adjacent pasture with good hay and mineral, good wind protection and water with occasional grain based feed.
I want to get the cows off of the corn by the end of the month so their last trimester is on hay and mineral only. This is best done moving the cows into the weaned calf pasture. I was going to separate the weaned steer calves and put them in the field as the bull. The bull would not change pastures but his girls, all pregnant, will be on the other side of the fence. The bull will now be together with a bunch of steer calves.
Question: Am I likely to run into any problems with the bull being switched from being with his ladies to being with a bunch of steers? There is a good very hot 5 barb + electric fence between the two pastures. Will the bull be likely to harm any of the steers? What should I expect or will things go smoothly?
I am hoping to keep the bull and steers on the corn and hay until the frost starts going out in March when I will keep them out of whatever corn remains and they will be hay only until grass is ready about May 1 and everybody gets back together again in July. Does this sound like a workable system?
A couple of the steers are very good sized - maybe 900 lb now - and I may harvest a few when they come off of corn if I have buyers for the beef which it looks like I may have. They may be about 1100 lb by about April 1 on the hay/corn combination.
I appreciate any responses
Background: I bought a bull last year - first one I've had. Previously rented one - in and out in 6 weeks or so. My purchased bull is a polled Hereford with a good disposition (so far - for a bull).
Current situation: Bull was put in with the cows and yearling heifers in July and been with them ever since. They have been grazing standing unharvested corn since early October with plenty of good hay, minerals and water. They seem to have developed a way of controlling their corn intake and do eat some hay but hay consumption is greatly reduced from last year with the grazing corn.
Weaned steer and heifer calves have been in an adjacent pasture with good hay and mineral, good wind protection and water with occasional grain based feed.
I want to get the cows off of the corn by the end of the month so their last trimester is on hay and mineral only. This is best done moving the cows into the weaned calf pasture. I was going to separate the weaned steer calves and put them in the field as the bull. The bull would not change pastures but his girls, all pregnant, will be on the other side of the fence. The bull will now be together with a bunch of steer calves.
Question: Am I likely to run into any problems with the bull being switched from being with his ladies to being with a bunch of steers? There is a good very hot 5 barb + electric fence between the two pastures. Will the bull be likely to harm any of the steers? What should I expect or will things go smoothly?
I am hoping to keep the bull and steers on the corn and hay until the frost starts going out in March when I will keep them out of whatever corn remains and they will be hay only until grass is ready about May 1 and everybody gets back together again in July. Does this sound like a workable system?
A couple of the steers are very good sized - maybe 900 lb now - and I may harvest a few when they come off of corn if I have buyers for the beef which it looks like I may have. They may be about 1100 lb by about April 1 on the hay/corn combination.
I appreciate any responses