Collection worthy?

[hornedfrogbbq]

10 years from now you can still go back and use him again All depends on the bull and what he can do for you. 100 straws if the bull jumps good will cost about 600.00. If nothing else its pretty cheap insurance if something goes wrong with the bull.

When we buy a higher dollar bull ($15k and up) we collect him rather than buy insurance. We did this with our best bull we bought last year and collected 1100 straws on him. He collects well (especially for a 24 month old) so the average cost of the straws was below $4. If he gets hurt and can no longer work, we have years worth of his semen.

Now, that being said, we will wait to see his first calves and especially heifers, before we use him heavily. We don't risk our herd to unproven sires too much.

Sidebar: I think we need to figure out how to sell bulls...we are a commercial herd but have some very strong genetics after doing nothing but AI and high quality registered cover bulls. We've considered splitting the herd and having a registered piece but honestly i'm not sure we have the acreage to do that. Heck, i'm not sure we have it figured out yet on acreage just to hold bull calves and develop them.

 

[hornedfrogbbq]

Dang, you all get pissy with each other!

Another way we look at collection is that when we first use a bull, he is roughly 2 years old. When he is 3, his first calves are born, when he is 4, his first calves get bred. So he is roughly 4-5 years of age before we know how well his daughters are going to do...growth, fertility, breed back after first heifer, etc. Most of our bulls cycle out of our herd in year 5 or 6. We normally own them about 4 years. By the time i really have time to eye and evaluate his daughters, he is close to leaving the herd.

 

[T & B farms]

Dang, you all get be nice with each other!

Another way we look at collection is that when we first use a bull, he is roughly 2 years old. When he is 3, his first calves are born, when he is 4, his first calves get bred. So he is roughly 4-5 years of age before we know how well his daughters are going to do...growth, fertility, breed back after first heifer, etc. Most of our bulls cycle out of our herd in year 5 or 6. We normally own them about 4 years. By the time i really have time to eye and evaluate his daughters, he is close to leaving the herd.

What do you do with your 5-6 year old bulls?

 

[Nesikep]

Dang, you all get be nice with each other!

Another way we look at collection is that when we first use a bull, he is roughly 2 years old. When he is 3, his first calves are born, when he is 4, his first calves get bred. So he is roughly 4-5 years of age before we know how well his daughters are going to do...growth, fertility, breed back after first heifer, etc. Most of our bulls cycle out of our herd in year 5 or 6. We normally own them about 4 years. By the time i really have time to eye and evaluate his daughters, he is close to leaving the herd.

What do you do with your 5-6 year old bulls?

Most of them get sold, most probably go to slaughter

 

[hornedfrogbbq]

Dang, you all get be nice with each other!

Another way we look at collection is that when we first use a bull, he is roughly 2 years old. When he is 3, his first calves are born, when he is 4, his first calves get bred. So he is roughly 4-5 years of age before we know how well his daughters are going to do...growth, fertility, breed back after first heifer, etc. Most of our bulls cycle out of our herd in year 5 or 6. We normally own them about 4 years. By the time i really have time to eye and evaluate his daughters, he is close to leaving the herd.

What do you do with your 5-6 year old bulls?

We pretty much take them to the packer. We have not found anyone willing to buy them for much more than packer pricing but that may have something to do with our complete lack of marketing. I am sure we could improve there.

 

[T & B farms]

Dang, you all get be nice with each other!

Another way we look at collection is that when we first use a bull, he is roughly 2 years old. When he is 3, his first calves are born, when he is 4, his first calves get bred. So he is roughly 4-5 years of age before we know how well his daughters are going to do...growth, fertility, breed back after first heifer, etc. Most of our bulls cycle out of our herd in year 5 or 6. We normally own them about 4 years. By the time i really have time to eye and evaluate his daughters, he is close to leaving the herd.

What do you do with your 5-6 year old bulls?

We pretty much take them to the packer. We have not found anyone willing to buy them for much more than packer pricing but that may have something to do with our complete lack of marketing. I am sure we could improve there.

This is why I was asking. From what I've read we have similar views and expectations in our cattle. When the time comes I would be interested in buying some bulls. Could be a win win for both of us. I get good proven bulls, and I could give you over salvage value.
If this is something you would be interested in, feel free to pm me.

 

[dbird33]

If nothing else I'm sure we will collect the bull and use the semen on dad's commercial herd and practice AI'ing. He is one of the best bulls we've had phenotypically and he has real world performance. He weaned at 820 on grass here in southern oklahoma and his calves are holding their own with AI sire groups. Time will tell on the maternal side of things.

I think that's a real good start! Do you have any pics of his progeny?

Here are a few from last year and one from this year. I'll try to take a few more photos of this years calf when the sun comes out. Almost everything in these photos is out of him. One heifer in 3rd pic down second from the left is out of another sire.

 

[T & B farms]

Looks like he passes his length on tho the calves. I sure don't see any faults in them

 

[hornedfrogbbq]

Great looking. Well done.

 

[NEFarmwife]

Nice calves!

I don't recall if this was mentioned, did his calves come easy?

 

[dbirdsong]

They have all come unassisted so far.

 

[True Grit Farms]

His calves BW was the only real negative that I saw. But there's a lot of variables that can contribute to that. To judge cattle off a picture or two you need to be a cattle judging extraordinar.

 

[dbirdsong]

He is definitely not a heifer bull but the cows we have used him on haven't had any issues. His calves average in the mid 80s. We have Resource and Rampage calves in the pasture and his calves are holding their own.