buying a bull.....

[Anonymous]

Another consideration for you-

What will you do with the bull after his work is done?

We keep 20 to 30 bulls year around just to have them for a couple months of work and they are a pain in the A## when they're off duty. If you don't have any neighbors, you might get by with running him with your cows year around. If you do have neighbors with females, its not really fair to them for you to try to keep a bull with not enough for him to do. When you consider the liability issue of a loose bull in your area, it makes AI or leasing a bull seem like a pretty good alternative.

 

[A. delaGarza]

Another consideration for you-

What will you do with the bull after his work is done?

We keep 20 to 30 bulls year around just to have them for a couple months of work and they are a pain in the A## when they're off duty. If you don't have any neighbors, you might get by with running him with your cows year around. If you do have neighbors with females, its not really fair to them for you to try to keep a bull with not enough for him to do. When you consider the liability issue of a loose bull in your area, it makes AI or leasing a bull seem like a pretty good alternative.

20 to 30 bulls you must have around 500 cows, so you really need them if you don't have someone that helps you with your A.I. and if you aren't a fulltime rancher, I'm telling you cuase I have the experience, I A.I. several 100's of cows and is a lot of work and you need Gomer bulls and a A.I. Tech. detecting heats everyday year round plus all the semen you need to have in storage plus the semen you need to have at the farm plus....
For one bull you could lease it or borrow it, or better if you buy it, you could do it with in a partnership. if you want.
Just some toughts, but personally I will A.I. the 5 cows.

 

[Anonymous]

buy bull at sale barn, then take him back in a couple of months and get your money back

 

[la4angus]

buy bull at sale barn, then take him back in a couple of months and get your money back

These bulls are normally called cow fresheners and disease spreaders.

 

[A. delaGarza]

buy bull at sale barn, then take him back in a couple of months and get your money back

naw , think is not a good idea, I won't do it

 

[TLCfromARK]

I was kinda wondering about the testing aspect. Would most small time cattlemen have their bull semen tested? I dont know of any of my neighbors who can provide the EPD's on their cattle, most are like me and only have a few cattle and just sell at the sale barn a couple times a yr or so. Isnt it mostly large breeders and very expensive bulls that get tested so the seller can justify the higher prices and guarantee the quality of the bull for the buyer? I really don't expect the seller to have a semen test on a $1000-$1500 dollar bull!

While some breeders won't have the bull tested for you they will guantee the bull to be sound ( able to breed ), if not I don't buy there. When I buy a bull I go straight to the Vet and have him semen tested ( you get the results very quickly for a very small fee ) if he's bad I take him right back where he came from. If he's good, he gets a series of shots, worm, vitimans,etc. before we go home for him to meet his new girls.

I do agree with some of the other posters, buy the best you can afford.

Good luck,

;-)

 

[Randyman]

Man, if I worked fifty hours a week, at a full time job, I think I would dump the cows and get a horse so when I did have thetime I could relax and ride off somewhere and have fun. Not trying to get you out of the cow business but, they take more time than you seem to have.

 

[BLACKPOWER]

Buy more cows, hell buy 50 more cows and then go get 3 bulls. Then go get a tractor to feed them, a manure spreader, a feed wagon, a baler, a swather, a rake, and a loader. Then go get a sweep tub and a chute so that you can A.I. them. Better get a pickup and a gooseneck stock trailer to haul them around to.

 

[Rod]

I started out as you did and I bought 1 young registered angus bull and now he's grown. Big, Black,and Registered-made great calves,Kept one of his bull calves and sold him for double my money. Find a good reistered young black bull, they're well in your price range, and he'll take care of the rest!

 

[Anonymous]

When a cow is in standing heat she will let a young bull breed her, even if most of the time she thinks he's a worthless punk. He does have to be tall enough to reach, which isn't as tall as you might think. My 14 month Red Angus bull had my 2 cows bred within a month of purchase last April. Unfortunately he also bred the heifer at one cow's side when she was only 5 months old - watch this, if any of your calves are heifers. You can buy a young virgin bull, keep him until the cows are settled then sell or butcher him. If he is untested, or even if he is, take note when he begins to follow a cow around, watch her closely 21 days later, if he starts up with following her again, he hasn't done his job . It only takes a half hour or so of observation twice a day - not at feeding time! - to keep track of when he is breeding the cows. If they cycle again i would consider him a gomer bull and call the a.i man. Around here (Vancouver Island Canada) the a.i tech charges around $20 per straw and $30 per farm visit and has a very good success rate. He supplies everything but the head gate.

 

[Anonymous]

If you dont have the proper facilities for a breeder then they will be harder to come by but you can find some one like me who has a portable chute and is willing to spend the time to set up and everything for an additional fee. but all you would have to buy is a head gate , you can build the rest, and they are easily bought for a few hundred dollars. I would suggest A.I. though, I may also be a bit biased since I am a breeder though. but which ever way you go, good luck with getting some babies on the ground.

 

[la4angus]

If you dont have the proper facilities for a breeder then they will be harder to come by but you can find some one like me who has a portable chute and is willing to spend the time to set up and everything for an additional fee. but all you would have to buy is a head gate , you can build the rest, and they are easily bought for a few hundred dollars. I would suggest A.I. though, I may also be a bit biased since I am a breeder though. but which ever way you go, good luck with getting some babies on the ground.

If this guest were "REGISTERED" he could possibly have some board participants calling on him.

 

[Anonymous]

you can synchronize your cows and AI in one day. You would have to run them through the chute a few times, but with only a few cows it should be relatively quick, and then you can get your pouring, fly tags or whatever done then too. Just call an AI tech or check out http://www.absglobal.com for more info. $$$$ I think the cost of semen, arming, and the shots and CIDRs are worth it if you add the cost of a bull, feed for him, having to have a seperate pen for him after breeding, and what if you do pay $2500 for a bull and he breaks his penis? You have ???? JMO

 

[Anonymous]

If you dont have the proper facilities for a breeder then they will be harder to come by but you can find some one like me who has a portable chute and is willing to spend the time to set up and everything for an additional fee. but all you would have to buy is a head gate , you can build the rest, and they are easily bought for a few hundred dollars. I would suggest A.I. though, I may also be a bit biased since I am a breeder though. but which ever way you go, good luck with getting some babies on the ground. "

Even if I was registered it would probably bring me little business, Cause Im stuck in Indiana at this time. [/quote]

 

[Anonymous]

go to summer or fall calving, maybe a neighbor will lease you a bull fairly cheap