Bull managment

[bizybeehill]

Ok,

What precautions or special needs does keeping a bull with your herd create ? Do you need to seperate him from your cows when calving time comes or do you need special fencing....etc. As I am learning it appears that the eventually I will have to decide to buy a bull or AI my herd as I grow. Any thoughts from the experienced ????

 

[sidney411]

Barry

We don't have any special fencing for our bulls, and we do not remove them from the pasture at any time during the year. We calve year round though. If you want a specific calving season you will have to remove your bull from the herd for a specific amount of time. You might need an electric fence to keep him out of the cow pasture then though. :lol:

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

Ok,

What precautions or special needs does keeping a bull with your herd create ? Do you need to seperate him from your cows when calving time comes or do you need special fencing....etc. As I am learning it appears that the eventually I will have to decide to buy a bull or AI my herd as I grow. Any thoughts from the experienced ????

A lot depends on the type of cattle & bulls you are running as well as the degree of "risk" you are willing to take when it comes to fencing. Bear in mind that any BULL that wants to service a heifer or cow (or get to another bull) CAN crash any fence that is not 5.5 to 6.0 feet high made out of welded pipe. Ok...negative stuff aside...lol. We also have 2 bull pens (50 x 75') of welded pipe & rod, 5.5 foot high with a loafing shed which we use for about to calf cow...as well as put bull in with her.

Bulls should only be selected that are relatively mild-mannered and manageable; otherwise they need to be ground beef.

We are running 3 service age bulls in our registered Longhorn herd. Each bull services certain females, depending on everyone's pedigree and traits.

All of our fencing here is barbed wire and T-posts (steel corner posts) and is 5.5 foot high with 7 wires. Such "excellent" fencing makes our insurance company very happy (and we sleep well at night). Additionally, each of our bulls with their females are separated in pastures by a 14 foot wide alleyway so they can't challenge each other up close.

When the cow/calf pair is doing ok and cow comes into her next heat, we put a bull with her. The bull doesn't bother the baby calf--mama sees to it and bull doesn't perceive baby calf as a threat.

When we A.I., we wait 2-3 weeks and then put a "cleanup" bull in with her in the remote chance the A.I. didn't take. And, if cow doesn't come into heat with the bull with her, that is pretty much a "guarantee" the A.I. took.

I might add that all of our bulls are easily managed, gentle, and very respectful of their females and our fences. As long as a bull has something nice to eat and has girlfriends of "his own" in their pasture he isn't very interested in jumping the fence and going down the road to the neighbor's.

 

[G&L Cattle]

I agree. Just keep the bull with the cows where he's supposed to be. If you must separate them, you are asking for trouble unless you take the bull far away from the herd.

G&L

 

[bizybeehill]

I have a neighbor who has cattle. Do I need to take special precautions for that side of my property???

Thanks again for the great responces.

 

[Medic24]

Do you want his bull's genes in your calves or visa versa?

 

[bizybeehill]

Do you want his bull's genes in your calves or visa versa?

Not really .............

 

[rwtherefords]

You're not saying what breed of bull your neighbor has, or what you intend to get. I raise Herefords, which are among the most docile bulls to be had. I've had my herd sire and a neighbors herd sire (hereford also) separated by 5 strands of barbed wire on T-posts for extended periods of time without any problems. Sure, they posture & bellow at each other, but don't mess with the fence. The 5 strand is also all that's needed to keep my bull separate from my cows until I'm ready for the breeding season to begin. I want all my calves to come about the same time. That way I have a contemporary group of calves which makes it easier to asses genetic performance.

Breed and temperment are huge in deciding what needs to be done to keep a bull.

 

[Rookie]

What it boils down to, Biz, is the individual bulls temprement. I have seen ones that could be contained by a single strand hot wire, and I have seen em that nothing could hold if they decided to move. You won't be sure what you need to do till you get the critter on your place and then He will decide how ya gonna have to treat him. Big bulls can pretty much destroy anything man can erect if they put their minds to it.

Good luck......george

 

[Campground Cattle]

You're not saying what breed of bull your neighbor has, or what you intend to get. I raise Herefords, which are among the most docile bulls to be had. I've had my herd sire and a neighbors herd sire (hereford also) separated by 5 strands of barbed wire on T-posts for extended periods of time without any problems. Sure, they posture & bellow at each other, but don't mess with the fence. The 5 strand is also all that's needed to keep my bull separate from my cows until I'm ready for the breeding season to begin. I want all my calves to come about the same time. That way I have a contemporary group of calves which makes it easier to asses genetic performance.

Breed and temperment are huge in deciding what needs to be done to keep a bull.

I raise Herefords also and the badest bull in this country at one time was mine. Wiped one neighbors Limo and another's Brangus. Broke in to the yearling bull lot and wiped all three yearlings. Once he learned he could walk through barb wire fence and he didn't even flich at the hot wires. Best advice I can give you is keep them far enough apart to keep from blowing snot on each other and super hot fences and that is not a guarantee. Boys will be boys and bulls will be bulls. This is the reason Mr. Bad Boy is Hamburger this all happened in two days. No bull is worth good relations with the neighbors.

 

[CKC1586]

Guess my brother is pretty lucky. Our boys are pretty well behaved, not that they don't like the ladies but they respect a fence and us. The Piedmontese are pretty good natured. They do blow at each other on occasion but they sort it out.

 

[bizybeehill]

What it boils down to, Biz, is the individual bulls temprement. I have seen ones that could be contained by a single strand hot wire, and I have seen em that nothing could hold if they decided to move. You won't be sure what you need to do till you get the critter on your place and then He will decide how ya gonna have to treat him. Big bulls can pretty much destroy anything man can erect if they put their minds to it.

Good luck......george

My plan as of now is to raise Angus crosses of somekind. Still seeing what everyone in my area is doing and what is sell the best. Most likely will look for an angus bull at some point. An awful lot of black, white face cows in my area. Im guessing they are herford/angus but not positive. I have about a month(depending on the weather) berfore I will have feilds ready and start buying my first cows/heifers.

 

[Rookie]

What it boils down to, Biz, is the individual bulls temprement. I have seen ones that could be contained by a single strand hot wire, and I have seen em that nothing could hold if they decided to move. You won't be sure what you need to do till you get the critter on your place and then He will decide how ya gonna have to treat him. Big bulls can pretty much destroy anything man can erect if they put their minds to it.

Good luck......george

My plan as of now is to raise Angus crosses of somekind. Still seeing what everyone in my area is doing and what is sell the best. Most likely will look for an angus bull at some point. An awful lot of black, white face cows in my area. Im guessing they are herford/angus but not positive. I have about a month(depending on the weather) berfore I will have feilds ready and start buying my first cows/heifers.

Ya don't go wrong with angus, that's for sure! I just had a rental Angus bull here for 3 months who was one who was easily contained by a 3 strand hot wire. never tried to make a break for it. But then there are those that at the first scent of a cow in heat in the next county, they are out and runnin

Good luck........george

 

[jcarkie]

an alley between fences is probably the best way to keep everybody on thier own side. BUT if a cow comes in heat it is as hard to keep her in as him out. mine went to visit the neighbors bull he never crossed the fence.

 

[TheBullLady]

lol... I've never had a bull cross a fence, but I've also had HEIFERS that did!

 

[denoginnizer]

How far can a bull smell a cow/heifer in heat?

 

[MR3]

How far can a bull smell a cow/heifer in heat?

I think that would have allot to do with the wind. I've smelled bacon and eggs out on the ocean when there wasn't a boat in sight. :lol:

Rod

 

[TheBullLady]

I keep my bull so busy he doesn't have the time (or energy) to smell heifers down the road.

 

[frenchie]

an alley between fences is probably the best way to keep everybody on thier own side. BUT if a cow comes in heat it is as hard to keep her in as him out. mine went to visit the neighbors bull he never crossed the fence.

I agree a 100 % . if you can keep bulls from getting nose to nose its easier to keep them in.

However if they are determined to go no fence will hold them

 

[Jake]

I think heifers must have a HUGE sex drive... they will go searching for a bull. seems that if they wanna get bred, they will go miles so that they get that way...