Bulls are home!

[Boot Jack Bulls]

I have spent the last few weekends bringing my boys home for some R&R. Here they are in their working clothes, just off the trailer.

CLF Cold Cash (left) and Boot Jack Maxum. 2 and 7 yrs old, respectively. Both purebred Angus.


Boot Jack Fireman, 3 yr old purebred Limi.

 

[Boot Jack Bulls]

Boot Jack Vortec, 2 yr old purebred Limi.


Boot Jack Titan, 6 yrs old, purebred Limi. He didn't see service this spring/summer due to injury, but he is recovering and stopped for a photo opp.


I have several more to bring home in the coming weeks, so I will update this as I go.

 

[frieghttrain]

They look awsome BJB!

 

[Ky hills]

Good bulls.

 

[kilroy60]

We have just brought our bulls home too and we'll keep them away from the cows until December. Just wondering if you have a special feed program that you give your bulls to condition them for the breeding season? We're short on grass due to drought and army worms here and are feeding hay but looking into a supplemental feed to help with conditioning. Probably put out a protein tub too. Just wondering what you and others do, if anything special, during this time.

 

[Supa Dexta]

Mine get a splash of oats, since I'm feeding it to feeders anyways. But I have a mill and plenty of oats in the bins. I wouldn't go out of my way to buy feed for a mature bull - only a younger one to help them grow.

 

[Boot Jack Bulls]

Thanks for the comments all!

Kilroy, my mature bulls winter on alfalfa/clover/grass mix hay. If the hay is lacking or we hit a really rough stretch of weather, I will throw out some baleage, or even a lick tub. If my big guys can't maintain condition in this set-up, they take a ride. The younger bulls get a high protein ration, with less fat than most push, and access to the same hay as the mature bulls. I do not use a TMR and do not feed DDG to anything. The exact ration changes based on what is economical. This year, corn is cheap, and big rounds are going for as cheap as $10 a bale (probably not greatest quality for sure), so I will have to figure that into the equation. I don't like to push them with too much corn, since it gets them too greasy and has negative impact on semen quality, but at the price they are forecasting, I will have to make use of some corn.

 

[jcarkie]

Mine came home end of July or August 1st they go back for fall season at Thanksgiving my fall cows have calved over 75 % in 40 days those boys were on fire !!!!!

 

[USAxBrad]

Bulls look good, how long do you leave them out there Boot Jack?

 

[Boot Jack Bulls]

Bulls look good, how long do you leave them out there Boot Jack?

Our standard lease is 60 days, with all transport included. I work with big commercial producers, smaller seedstock herds, and hobby farmers with just a few crossbred cows. Some of the hobby farmer type will pay to extend the lease out to 90 days just to get their stragglers bred. They aren't terribly concerned with a tight calving window. Some of the bigger commercial herds I work with use my bulls twice a year, for 60 days in both spring/summer and fall/winter. They have enough head, that they can just move a cow or two to the next season if she misses on the first go. Maxum, for example just came home from a commercial producer and will go back to him the end of November. He will service about 75 head for that breeder all told this year. I also have some seedstock herds that will AI with one of my bulls, then lease the same bull for just over 30 days for clean up. This way, they get a super tight calving window, and a uniform group. For the most part, this is what we do with the herds my family owns as well.

Our lease program is a bit different than most, because these are bulls we raised or purchased from reputable breeders, developed and handled daily by us. They are the same bulls we use to service our own herds, and some are the ones we collect semen on. A large portion of them are also former/current show bulls with nice wins on their records.