can my bull be too big?

[dieselbeef]

he seems to be breaking my cows..got one limpin a cpl mos ago..now i got 2 more hobbled.vet says twisted ankles ...be ok in a month or he'll come back.

hes a big boy..vet said hes over a ton...never had any issues before tho. hes bout 6 i guess. all of a sudden he seems to be breaking my cows.
i hold my hiefers til theyre 20 mos as it is which is too long but it gives em more size to accomodate him.
hes a great bull..ez keeper..very gentle and throws some real nice pure bfmstr calfs.

i asked the vet and he said he didnt think the bull was too big..altho he said hes on the big side

so what to do...man i really hate to go looking for a bull and get some fence buster that throws crappy calfs or wont stay home...

 

[Anonymous]

He may be getting a little lazy and not carry his weight like he should when he mounts.

 

[dieselbeef]

ive seen him mt up tho..hes pretty stand up guy..doesnt look like hes doing it wrong..course i can only speak from ym own exp

 

[Anonymous]

There's no way for you visually see how much weight he's putting on the cows or heifers and how much he carries on his rear legs. But if he's buckling them....

 

[dieselbeef]

well i tried to run out there ad put a scale under the cows front legs but the bull got mad..

coitus interuptus im guessin


i know what yer saying..but when hes on em he aint pushin em or makin em fall forward that i can see

 

[Black and Good]

How old are the cows that came up lame? Could it be something else causing the lameness? Or have you seen them bulling and then come up lame? Just wondering and trying to help. I don't think the weight of a bull is the question as much as is how athletic is he. Some bulls just get up there and start rubbing two sticks together to build a fire. LOL B&G

 

[double v]

he can be to big had the same thing years ago, but it was also a way of knowing they were bred.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

I have more trouble with my cows and heifers riding each other.. they mount and mimic the bull, but put all their weight on them and get em out of balance.and if you got bull calves worryin' the bull and cows while he tryin' to do his business makes it awkward for him...dont sell him yet.. aleast at killer..somebody could really benefit from him...

 

[dieselbeef]

yeah im jsut looking for input. he has been an outstanding bull for us and is reg bfmstr so i hate to move on

ill keep him for awhile to be sure hes the issue. vet didnt say alot about him being big cept that he was...

cows are of varying ages...i do have them riding each other like a bunch o dummys too. cpl steer calfs in there but theyre young..less than 6 mos yet

 

[ALACOWMAN]

yeah im jsut looking for input. he has been an outstanding bull for us and is reg bfmstr so i hate to move on

ill keep him for awhile to be sure hes the issue. vet didnt say alot about him being big cept that he was...

cows are of varying ages...i do have them riding each other like a bunch o dummys too. cpl steer calfs in there but theyre young..less than 6 mos yet

from what ive seen, good ones like him are hard to come by...

 

[3waycross]

I have seen this quite a bit. Bull is big(over a ton), bull is getting up in age. It could be either factor but the two combined is usually the culprit. If he is so good that you want to keep his genetics going then get him collected and send him down the road. or just send him down the road. I don't know of any other real options.

 

[KNERSIE]

A gentleman takes his weight on his elbows....

He's probably not as athletic as he once was anymore. Size isn't an issue on a sound athletic bull, the straighter the hocks, the heavier breeders they become.

 

[Taurus]

Well either keep him and replace the entire herd or replace the bull to keep the entire herd.

 

[thommoos]

Yes he is too big, I went back and check your post from earlier this year and well I hate to tell you this, I will be send a truck to take him off week after next. I even doing it for free.

Seriously no he is not maybe a little aggressive, he could have step on hem who know. still he is a fine looking bull.

 

[dieselbeef]

well thanks im sure hed be happy to hear ya like him!!

he is big for sure. i might look at keeping one of his better bulls to raise up for a replacement..idk

right now its watch and see i guess

 

[fitz]

Last time my Vet was here he asked if I was having any problems with the Bull's size. He was getting pretty big and I had already marked him as close to done here. I usually keep one that I like to over a ton if he is an easy breeder as others have posted. I start holding heifers back from him and then start over with another. Your Bull is a great looking animal and I know some times it's hard to let one go.
I think you bring your heifer in if my memory is right. He may be getting a little sloppy handling himself with age. I put my heifers with the Bull between 15 and 20 months of age depending on them being placed in the spring or fall group. I just don't care for a Bull that size on heifers. Good luck with it.

fitz

 

[dieselbeef]

yer right on all accts. I run my program as you do yours.

the problem I have is getting a bull that sucks...when I think so highly of the one ive got. well give it a while and see what happens. maybe hes got an issue that will pass as well as the heifer problems.

 

[fitz]

I'm sure your Vet is right on the cause of lameness. Here, I can't recall dealing with the number of lame cows related to foot rot as I have this year.

fitz