Bull Question

[ffamom]

If you only plan on running one bull with your herd, is it necessary to seperate them from the herd when the breeding season is over if you sell all the calves at weaning?

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

Cattle are herd & social animals. If you're running one bull and plan for him to breed again, let him stay with his females. A bull by himself and alone (even if across the fence) will be unhappy and potentially a management problem. Unless the bull is a nut case, he won't bother any calves with the mamas...mama will keep her calf safe.

 

[dun]

The biggest problem with running a bull with the cows year round is the chance of having an extended calving seaons, in some cases calving year round. The slow breeders don;t get culled as diligently as they should.

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

Like Dun said and you will have calves born earlier every year. Works both ways make calve earlier and the slow breeders will still be later.

 

[msscamp]

If you only plan on running one bull with your herd, is it necessary to seperate them from the herd when the breeding season is over if you sell all the calves at weaning?

It has nothing to do with the number of bulls or when you sell the calves, and everything to do with when those calves are born and the overall uniformity of the bunch. Leaving the bull with the herd year round tends to mask breeding back problems, and generally produces a less uniform bunch of calves. That lack of uniformity can get a producer docked in at big time way at the sale barn. Another factor is the issue of the time and labor required in calving year round.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Unless the bull is a nut case, he won't bother any calves with the mamas...mama will keep her calf safe.

:shock: :shock: Let's get real!! If a heifer calf comes into heat - SHE WILL BE BRED BY THE BULL.
"mama will keep her calf safe" that's a riot! These are cattle folks - not people!

 

[bandit80]

Unless the bull is a nut case, he won't bother any calves with the mamas...mama will keep her calf safe.

:shock: :shock: Let's get real!! If a heifer calf comes into heat - SHE WILL BE BRED BY THE BULL.
"mama will keep her calf safe" that's a riot! These are cattle folks - not people!

My thoughts exactly, and a lot of people can't keep their daughters "safe" anymore.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

Unless the bull is a nut case, he won't bother any calves with the mamas...mama will keep her calf safe.

This fella is supposed to be a long time cattle raiser? Supposedly he has very expensive long horns? Yet he says things like this? That is funny. I don't care who you are that is funny right there. Saying BS like

• that would not make me think he is a reputable breeder and would make me not want to buy someone like that.

how would you think from just that he's not reputable....? but your right i wouldnt want to buy him either.but his cattle maybe though the bull is gonna mount anything in heat and will run over or through things to do it. some times things of considerable value.. a strong labido has no conscious

 

[HOSS]

I put the bull in on Memorial Day weekend and remove him just before calving. I then put him with the nurse cow so he aint by himself and she will calve earlier than the rest the following year. Works good for me.

 

[TexasBred]

Unless the bull is a nut case, he won't bother any calves with the mamas...mama will keep her calf safe.

:shock: :shock: Let's get real!! If a heifer calf comes into heat - SHE WILL BE BRED BY THE BULL.
"mama will keep her calf safe" that's a riot! These are cattle folks - not people!

She'll definitely get serviced many times over....whether or not she breeds is another question. May take more than one heat.

 

[Keren]

Unless the bull is a nut case, he won't bother any calves with the mamas...mama will keep her calf safe.

:shock: :shock: Let's get real!! If a heifer calf comes into heat - SHE WILL BE BRED BY THE BULL.
"mama will keep her calf safe" that's a riot! These are cattle folks - not people!

I think the comment may be referring to the fact that, some people have concerns that bulls will chase and injure/kill calves, just for the fun of it. Kind of like horses can get all riled up and chase stock.

We have several bulls; but we calve all year round, and at any point in the year a bull is with the herd. Management decision that suits us.

Also, the other thing is some people say that the bull will attack/mount the cow when she is calving, because of all the hormones and everything. We've never found that, our bulls stay in at calving time. Our bulls are laid back, but I suppose if the bull was a nut case it could be an issue

 

[pdfangus]

Well I will be the bad guy.

Bull managment is a part of herd management.

If it is too much trouble to manage the bull then it is probably too much trouble to do regular pregnancy work and cull non productive females and do herd health work anyway so you will have cows open at any time of the year which will require a bull to be present to breed the open cows.

to have a controlled calving season to get a uniform aged and hopefully uniform sized and appearing calf crop you must have a controlled breeding season. At the end of the breeding season do the necessary preganancy work and sell or move the non bred cows and then I have no problem with the bull hanging out with the girls.

However I don't want the bull breeding my heifers so calf managment and weaning is more important.
Also i don't want the bull in with calving cows as surely you are going to have some cows breeding back earlier than necessary which will cut milk production and hinder the growth of the new season calf not to mention messing up the nice controlled calving season.

To me the question is a larger one of am I going to be a cattle breeder and manager or do I want to have a pet cow and bull. Or perhaps do i just want to have some land use cows.

bull managment is a technique of herd managment but it is not the only technique. But in my observation those who won't manage the bull usually wont do a lot of the other managment steps that need to be done to otherwise manage the herd.

Can the bull stay with the cows year round. Of course he can, and before man interfered there were several with the herd year round. but predators took care of the outliers and the injured and mother nature controlled the breeding season and cattle had horns to defend themselves and there were no hay costs.

 

[grannysoo]

We leave our bull in year around. He and the little bull calves were having a pushing contest yesterday. It was amazing to see a 6 week old bull calf push the big bull around. He was playing with the calves much like we play with our children. Surprised me how gentle he was with them.

 

[Jim62]

To me the question is a larger one of am I going to be a cattle breeder and manager or do I want to have a pet cow and bull. Or perhaps do i just want to have some land use cows.

And, in a perfect world....blah, blah, blah, blah.............

I'm totally in awe of your diligence. But, most people have lives beyond their cow herd. :wave:

 

[pdfangus]

To me the question is a larger one of am I going to be a cattle breeder and manager or do I want to have a pet cow and bull. Or perhaps do i just want to have some land use cows.

And, in a perfect world....blah, blah, blah, blah.............

I'm totally in awe of your diligence. But, most people have lives beyond their cow herd. :wave:

So I take it you have no constructive comments to add....but just wanted to take a shot.....
fire away big boy.....

A question was posed on the pros and cons of leaving a bull in and I offered an opinion.
Opinions are like butt holes....eveybody has one and now I guess I have found one too.

 

[MikeC]

If you only plan on running one bull with your herd, is it necessary to seperate them from the herd when the breeding season is over if you sell all the calves at weaning?

When the bull calves and steers get big enough to smell and detect a cow in heat they will jump on them and ride them, assimilating their older counterpart.

The older bulls will rough them up a little, thinking they are competition.

I have had more than one bull calf with a broken rear leg caused by the older bull attempting to run them away from a cow in estrus.

Take him out and let him get back in condition for next year.

 

[mnmtranching]

I think the best policy is to separate bulls, keep them with the herd only during breeding season. With small herds that calve year round. Put the bull in when a cow cycles, then take him out again. You can control the breeding.

 

[Jim62]

eveybody has one and now I guess I have found one too.

Reckon so. Right behind you.

Did it take both hands? :banana:

 

[pdfangus]

eveybody has one and now I guess I have found one too.

Reckon so. Right behind you.

Did it take both hands? :banana:

No....

Just the one on the mouse.