critic my calf

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WolfLady

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oh here goes *been quite a while since i posted** I have a 4 month old bottle baby That i would love for you to tell me what you think of him (he is a bull at this time thinking of steering him) 8)
 
the goat is a Who Knows whats it :) alpine mix for company he has 4 goats 2 other calves and one mini horse :lol: Needless to say we have to separate :wave: when feeding
 
I would cut him soon, because he will be a killer in a few months. Dairy bulls are the most dangerous mammal in North America.
 
Hey wolflady,

Your profile says LA., I'm guessing northern Louisiana from the pine trees?

Looks like a normal content holstein bull calf; at least he doesn't have a huge bottle stomach!. Wouldn't keep him intact long though, the longer you delay the cutting/banding, the more it'll set jr. back.
 
WolfLady":14ldmzin said:
oh here goes *been quite a while since i posted** I have a 4 month old bottle baby That i would love for you to tell me what you think of him (he is a bull at this time thinking of steering him) 8)

What are your plans for him in the long run?
 
Southeastern Louisiana :) As for what jr will be --- very pretty freezer waiting just for him LOL. Got a question for all-- what about his horns keep or go? thanks :)
 
Have the vet come out and steer the calf and burn the horns out at the same time, it does not cost so much at all. Maybe if you know how or have a neighbor who knows, they can do it for you. I would strongly suggest burning the horns as opposed to paste.

Looks like a nice healthy calf ~ good work!
 
id get the vet out to steer an dehorn him.the sooner its done the quicker he is over it.
 
WolfLady":36itrf2r said:
Southeastern Louisiana :) As for what jr will be --- very pretty freezer waiting just for him LOL. Got a question for all-- what about his horns keep or go? thanks :)

If your going to butcher him for the freezer, no need to dehorn him - won't grow much horn in 12 or 14 months. I'd still castrate or band him just to keep those bulls tendancies away. Good luck!
 
I would still dehorn him. Even castrated he could hurt you with horns just by "playing". Also if you keep him with your goats and he grows horns he could injure them around the feed bunk.
 
jfranseen":cghz1m87 said:
I would still dehorn him. Even castrated he could hurt you with horns just by "playing". Also if you keep him with your goats and he grows horns he could injure them around the feed bunk.
I hadnt concidered him hurting the goats or mini with horns only plan to keep him until he is about 9 to 12 months and I hadnt heard that dairy bulls where different from other bulls.
Ok on the horns i have been told to paste, told to let them grow and take a hacksaw to them and to band them :cry2: I am confused HELP! :???:
 
It isn't that dairy bulls are necessarily different than other bulls, but that they are bottle fed. Beef bulls that are bottle fed are just as dangerous.

To dehorn him, I would get your vet, or someone else that is very experienced out and have them do it. You can paste them (if they aren't too big) or cut them off. At 4 months old having them cut off would probably be the best. They will still be pretty small, so they shouldn't bleed too badly, and it shouldn't cause him too much stress. We've cut them off 6-8 month old calves with only a little blood and very little stress to the calf.
 
WolfLady":zby2l62v said:
jfranseen":zby2l62v said:
I would still dehorn him. Even castrated he could hurt you with horns just by "playing". Also if you keep him with your goats and he grows horns he could injure them around the feed bunk.
I hadnt concidered him hurting the goats or mini with horns only plan to keep him until he is about 9 to 12 months and I hadnt heard that dairy bulls where different from other bulls.
Ok on the horns i have been told to paste, told to let them grow and take a hacksaw to them and to band them :cry2: I am confused HELP! :???:

No need to be confused, it's entirely your choice. Every member on here will invariably have differing opinions on certain subjects. I cut the horns of any calves that I have (which is easy with a polled bull) only because they will be docked at the saleyard if they are not cut. Same with castrating. If you are keeping this bull/steer calf to butcher yourself, then the choice is up to you - you have no buyer who will offer you less money for the calf because it has horns or is intact. You said that your only keeping him 9-12 months. In my opinion, a holstein bull calf will not grow enough horn in that time to become a problem. That's just my opinion. I would however castrate/band him to make him a steer. That choice is based solely on the fact that I would not want to have the dominant bull potential who could hurt you.

In the end wolflady, only you can make the choice. Don't worry or be confused, do what you think is right for you, and good luck!
 

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