castration.....when? why?

[moloss]

My wife and I worked our cows yesterday....long story short this is only my third year having cows and I've cut the calves every year but only because that's what I was told to do but that got me to thinking....when is the best age to cut a bull calf? and why is it? any and all suggestions and stories are needed and appreciated.....Chris.

 

[jkwilson]

I cut them young because I can still hold them down.

 

[Kingfisher]

My wife and I worked our cows yesterday....long story short this is only my third year having cows and I've cut the calves every year but only because that's what I was told to do but that got me to thinking....when is the best age to cut a bull calf? and why is it? any and all suggestions and stories are needed and appreciated.....Chris.

Depends on your Bull.......

 

[Isomade]

My wife and I worked our cows yesterday....long story short this is only my third year having cows and I've cut the calves every year but only because that's what I was told to do but that got me to thinking....when is the best age to cut a bull calf? and why is it? any and all suggestions and stories are needed and appreciated.....Chris.

Depends on your Bull.......

Why would your bull make any difference? At all?

 

[Kingfisher]

My wife and I worked our cows yesterday....long story short this is only my third year having cows and I've cut the calves every year but only because that's what I was told to do but that got me to thinking....when is the best age to cut a bull calf? and why is it? any and all suggestions and stories are needed and appreciated.....Chris.

Depends on your Bull.......

Why would your bull make any difference? At all?

Cuz if you had a bad axx bull and some bad axx cows............maybe you would not cut em.................get any rain? I ran up to Brownwood today ...........it sure is dry...............

 

[dun]

The coty or band and do it young or wait are like the Ford chevy arguments.
Some why to cut them young is to prevent them knocking up the heifers their age, in most markets it makes them more desireable in the feedlot, makes thme easier to handle and generally causes less excitement.

 

[moloss]

I've been told that it takes longer to grow them out when they're cut but the meat tastes better from a steer.....are y'all doing this at 2-3months?

 

[dun]

I've been told that it takes longer to grow them out when they're cut but the meat tastes better from a steer.....are y'all doing this at 2-3months?

Part of the controversy is that they will grow slower (a little) as steers, but if you wait to cut them you'll set them back so that it's in theory a wash.

 

[LRTX1]

We band (and tag) in the pasture, usually within the first week. It's easier to walk up and catch em while they are sleeping, easier to handle at a real young age too. We typically have no more than 20 calves a year so it's not a big deal to do it in the pasture. Normally only one every other day or so.

 

[John SD]

I and most ranchers around here castrate at spring branding time. Some do it at birth with bands but most wait and do the whole job at once. Of course a lot depends on what, if any, crew you have available on a daily basis. I work alone so that's why I wait until branding. I'm lucky to be able to catch the baby calves to give them a 7-way shot.

I castrate with a knife and spray the wound with screw worm spray. My calving is just getting a good start now. By mid-late June when I brand summer should be here so I usually pour both cows and calves at the same time to kill the flies off.

It's also an excellent opportunity to give the cows their annual pre-breeding vaccination. If the cows are current on their vaccinations, then the nursing calves can be given MLV vaccines in the fall shots. IMO, MLV vaccines are both cheaper and more effective. However, it is very important to never give a MLV vaccine to a nursing calf if the pregnant dam is not current on her own vaccinations. The MLV vaccine given to the calf can cause her to abort.

Sorry for rambling quite a ways off the original topic.

 

[John SD]

Depends on your Bull.......[/quote]
Why would your bull make any difference? At all?[/quote]
Cuz if you had a bad axx bull and some bad axx cows............maybe you would not cut em..............[/quote]

Yeah, but your bad axx bull shouldn't be with your bad axx cows when they are calving anyway. ;-)

That said, my oldest bull got beat out by the young guys and is currently back with the cows. I gotta do something about that soon.

 

[Brute 23]

I've been told that it takes longer to grow them out when they're cut but the meat tastes better from a steer.....are y'all doing this at 2-3months?

Part of the controversy is that they will grow slower (a little) as steers, but if you wait to cut them you'll set them back so that it's in theory a wash.

What he is saying that they do not put on the weight because of lack of testosterone. There is some truth to that because a steer will not bulk up like a bull calf. The theory is that there is more usable weight on a steer than a bull calf so buyers are willing to pay more per pound. The larger the calf is when its sold... supposedly... the more emphasis they put on it being cut or not.

I cut some when it can be easily done but do not sweat it if I miss a group. I've never seen that much of a price difference to go too far out of the way to get it done.

 

[backhoeboogie]

. I've never seen that much of a price difference to go too far out of the way to get it done.

I have. Had a good pure brangus bull calf. He had potential. Every year someone asks so I left this one a bull. No one asked. I sent him out with a group of steers to the sale barn. He was the best looking of the lot and brought 28 cents under average. I was shocked.

Probably has a lot to do with who's buying and what orders they have.

 

[JSCATTLE]

Some of the pastures I have don't have good working pens. So some of my calves don't get the knife. They seem to sell the same as the steers but I usually sell around 550, pounds or so . I'm sure the heavy stockers would sell for less its harder on them to ne cut that late. I asked a buyer at the sale about steering them he said the calves are all worked when they arive at the feedlot etc. so it didn't take much longer to cut them then . And he doesn't discount for bull calves under 600 pounds .

 

[dun]

Some of the pastures I have don't have good working pens. So some of my calves don't get the knife. They seem to sell the same as the steers but I usually sell around 550, pounds or so . I'm sure the heavy stockers would sell for less its harder on them to ne cut that late. I asked a buyer at the sale about steering them he said the calves are all worked when they arive at the feedlot etc. so it didn't take much longer to cut them then . And he doesn't discount for bull calves under 600 pounds .

It's one of those locality things. One sale barn close to us doesn;t cost a cent for bulls vs steers, the next one down the road will knock you a dime to a quarter a pound for bulls. And we're only talking a 45 mile difference.

 

[Brute 23]

Some of the pastures I have don't have good working pens. So some of my calves don't get the knife. They seem to sell the same as the steers but I usually sell around 550, pounds or so . I'm sure the heavy stockers would sell for less its harder on them to ne cut that late. I asked a buyer at the sale about steering them he said the calves are all worked when they arive at the feedlot etc. so it didn't take much longer to cut them then . And he doesn't discount for bull calves under 600 pounds .

Exactly :nod:

 

[Brute 23]

. I've never seen that much of a price difference to go too far out of the way to get it done.

I have. Had a good pure brangus bull calf. He had potential. Every year someone asks so I left this one a bull. No one asked. I sent him out with a group of steers to the sale barn. He was the best looking of the lot and brought 28 cents under average. I was shocked.

Probably has a lot to do with who's buying and what orders they have.

Ya that is alot. Is this a one time deal or do your sell mixed groups often?

 

[backhoeboogie]

Pretty much a one time deal. This bull had prospect but I ain't a horse trader. Never even tried to market the thing. Most every thing gets steered. Dam and sire could have been registered.

 

[djinwa]

Some of the pastures I have don't have good working pens. So some of my calves don't get the knife. They seem to sell the same as the steers but I usually sell around 550, pounds or so . I'm sure the heavy stockers would sell for less its harder on them to ne cut that late. I asked a buyer at the sale about steering them he said the calves are all worked when they arive at the feedlot etc. so it didn't take much longer to cut them then . And he doesn't discount for bull calves under 600 pounds .

You would think with stress related illnesses like pneumonia in the feedlot, they wouldn't want to add this on top of it. Wonder if they figure that into the equation. Can't think of anything more stressful than getting your nuts cut off and the pain afterwards. To go along with the stress of weaning, crowding, trucking, new feed and water and surroundings, new pecking order, etc.

As a vet once said, the question in a feedlot shouldn't be why some of them die, but why do any of them live.

 

[houstoncutter]

when i have retained ownership of calves I usually cut em and shot at 400 lbs...otherwise i always usually sold at 400lbs... uncut and unworked.. Most times I usually took about 5 to 6 cent a pound hit on the bulls.