BULLS

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Rod

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Dec 27, 2003
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N.w. Arkansas
I told this story on another post and I want to see if there's a better way of introducing another bull to a herd with other bulls. Here's what happened on the first go around. I had a 18 month old angus Champ (aprx.1300lbs) and needed another bull so I had bought a brangus BIG JAMES (1 ton). I had asked the Q & A board about putting twoo bulls together and was told to just let him out with the herd and after awhile they'd get along. So as I came up the drive with BIG JAMES... CHAMP hears the cattle trailer and starts to make his way to the corrall(he thinks more cows are comming). I pull out in the pasture and open up the back doors to the trailer and at this point I'm getting concerned as to what was actually going to happen.Well, out backed BIG JAMES and as he makes his way toward some cows CHAMP spots him. He runs towards him and they take to fightin, through cross fences and then eventualy through the neighbors fence( which has the the meanist brahmen bull i ever been around, JACKHAMMER JACK). So the next thing I know I got three dam# bulls fightin and I'm sitting on the tractor trying to figure out how long in the he## its going to take me to fix all this stuff. They make their way through the next guys old metal gate (where a jackass resides) and the jackass runs over to all the commotion and starts kicking the living sh## out of all three of them. At this point I knew there was a god in heaven cause the three of them finally seperate. In time things got fixed and my two bulls had their pecking order hashed out.

I've got to add a third bull to this herd now, SURLEY there's a better way of putting a new bull in the herd and I would LOVE to hear some of them! Thanks.
 
Put that donkey in there, he sounds like a good referee!!! What kind of bull are you getting this time?
 
CopeMan":12d18n4q said:
Put that donkey in there, he sounds like a good referee!!! What kind of bull are you getting this time?
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Put all the catch panels you can get together and brace it with trucks and tractors.
 
For some crazy reason I went to A hi bred Angus Super bull. He's an embryo product out of forever lady and A son of Freightliner. I could't bear to watch a high dollar bull like that go through that kind of goat rope i had last time, they'd have to bury me on the spot. That's why I want to hear some better approaches on this matter.
 
Rod, I have never had a lot of success bringing in a new bull to put out with the existing bulls. Then again I usaully have at least one Angus bull and they (IMO) just love to fight. Now with that said, I have put some together and never had a problem. Also if I see a bull calf of mine that looks exceptional I may keep him for a herd bull for another group. It seems if I put him in as a 7-8 month old and let him run with the other bulls they get along just fine. I don't like to buy bulls and just let them sort it out. I have lost too many bulls to bull fights. I know this isn't much help but that's what I do. If they fight I separate them. I run at least two herds at one time so that helps some to keep the fighters away from one another.
 
Bulls are going to fight - they have to set their pecking order as you know. If you can't have a bull-proof area, the only other way I would suggest is to have your home bulls seperated from the cows in a VERY LARGE open range where they (hopefully) won't reach fences to push through.
I have very little experience with bulls, but logic tells me that now that the two homies have established their pecking order, the new guy will get picked on by both homies & will quit sooner. But, always depends on how "bull-headed" :D :shock: he is.
 
If you can't run two herds, then give them as much space as you can and go in the house. Drink a beer or twelve and check on them later. You probably won't be able to stop anything anyway so you might as well take it easy on the old ticker. That jack jumping in and stopping the fight had me chuckling this morning. Maybe you can sell the story to pay for the fences.

Lee
 
Rod,

Bulls are going to fight to establish the pecking order. The best way we have determined to introduce bulls is to bring the existing bulls into a corral...somewhat close quarters...and introduce the new bull with them. Obviously the corral must be a sturdy one or things will happen that cause a lot of work. We have one that is made of 3"x 1/8" round pipe and can stand the pushing pressure. All other items are removed except the waterer. Usually a few hours will settle the matter. One must hope that no one's legs get hurt. We have tried to introduce them next to each other in the corrals and that doesn't work. The sparring occurs without end thru the rails and when they are turned out the fight still occurs.

You are correct the Angus seem to like a challenge. We like to think that it just shows a determined bull. Probably the better to have around...especially when a cow comes into estrus.
 
bwranch":6mfwe254 said:
If you can't run two herds, then give them as much space as you can and go in the house. Drink a beer or twelve and check on them later. You probably won't be able to stop anything anyway so you might as well take it easy on the old ticker. That jack jumping in and stopping the fight had me chuckling this morning. Maybe you can sell the story to pay for the fences.

Lee
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That's the only way I know to do it.Give em' the North 40 and let em' rip. Things will calm down before you know it in most cases.(for some, Cases of Beer)
 
I'd rather buy a six month old bull or two and turn out and let em grow up with the herd. Much less fighting that way. I've introduced two new breeding age bulls into my herd and there was minimal fighting. But they were in a herd of cows we bought also...which I think made a difference. Those cows have been on the place almost a year and they still are segregated. The bulls mix and mingle but the cows don't.
 
the bulls are fighting over who is the head bull.as well as fighting over the cows.some bulls will take so meny cows as theirs when the fighting is done.you can leave them in same pasture .theyll settle down after all the fighting.scott
 
Rod":1d0mfyk6 said:
For some crazy reason I went to A hi bred Angus Super bull. He's an embryo product out of forever lady and A son of Freightliner. I could't bear to watch a high dollar bull like that go through that kind of goat rope i had last time, they'd have to bury me on the spot. That's why I want to hear some better approaches on this matter.
Click to expand...

IMO, there's no way you'll keep them from fighting. You'll have to separate the herd. If you have a defined breeding season and pull the bulls off the cows for a while and run them together, they won't fight as much when they go back into the breeding pasture.

Where did you buy the bull? I understand your concern; we sold a very good young bull to a rancher a few years ago and he got his leg broken in a fight his second year of breeding. But fighting for the right to breed is a natural instinct for most species; about all you can do is try to manage it.
 
theres only a couple of things you can do. they may help, they may not.

my first recommendation is to get bulls of different ages. like 2, 4, 6. just so long as one is clearly dominant and another is cleary a whippersnapper.

if you can separate them easily you can rotate the bulls or use two compatible ones at a time.

A lot of people separate their cows into different breeding herds and then run them together the rest of the year. you could try this if you have the space/fencing.

but bulls are going to fight.

edited b/c i forgot one. the only bulls that arent going to fight are very tiny and come in a straw.
 
they were talking about preston and his comment to introduce the bulls in tight quarters.
 
Dad had two bulls fighting through the fence one time and he drove his 1 ton ford up to them and slowly pushed the down the fence line until we got to a corner, when we got there the bull on our side turned on the truck because he was forced away from the fence and the other bull. needless to say the ole ford wasn't much of a match and after a broken grill pops just backed off and let them settle their differences. If that would have been me driving he never would have let me live it down. :stop:
 

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