Cutting bull calfs

[Bigfoot]

Ive always wondered this.....why do some of yall cut the bull calves instead of just banding? You can band them even when they get up in the age you would usually cut. Is there a benefit from it? I'm just wondering. We have always banded or just sold them as bull calves.

Fear of tetnus, stops some from banding. Band enough with out giving a tetanus shot a couple weeks before, and you'll eventually lose one yourself.

 

[M5farm]

Ive always wondered this.....why do some of yall cut the bull calves instead of just banding? You can band them even when they get up in the age you would usually cut. Is there a benefit from it? I'm just wondering. We have always banded or just sold them as bull calves.

its hard to eat them when you band em

 

[Hook]

They don't fall off as bad with cutting vs banding. Usually they go right back to grazing and nursing.

 

[fitz]

I try to double band mine after the first 24 hours. He's had time to bond with the cow and he's easier to catch at that age because I'm old. They'll fall off before he knows he had any. If I have enough to make it worth while I may gather the group and implant. I left a late fall calf intact last year so I may see how much I'm costing myself.

 

[Tim/South]

A cut steer is healed by the time the scrotum falls off a banded calf.
My grandfather always banded. He said it was more humane. It may be more comforting for the human doing the deed but is not any better for the calf. The little guy is walking around with his junk rotting off. I have helped treat a maggot infested banded scrotum. Nasty.
I tend to use the big bander on calves much over 600 lb. if we are asked to help someone working their calves. That can be one stinking mess after a couple of weeks. Will only big band during the winter months now.

 

[jerry27150]

my old vet would say if you think those bands don't cause any pain, put one on your finger for little while

 

[Angus Cowman]

I hate it when guys band as newborns I have seen to many that has a nut left in them and those producers always SWEARS they always gets both nuts
That is BS

Either cut em when they are small or band or cut when they get bigger

I had a guy swear he never missed a nut when he was banding and I was looking at his "steers" one seemed awful bullish looking ran him thru the chute and sure enough he had a nut laying up in his belly
I have one out here now that has one found it last week when I was castrating
He still has it because it is too hard on them to cut them out since you have to cut their abdomen to get them since no sack is left after banding

I understand that predicament but wouldnt it be easier to band the bull calves when you would usually cut on them? I would think it would be safer and easier. What I'm asking is why cut on em when you can band.

Most time you can never tell you done anything to them after a day or so when you cut them. I have seen them lay around and walk stiff legged for a week or more after banding
Wrap a rubber band around your finger for 5 minutes and you pretty much know what it feels like to banded a calf but that feeling last for several days on calves where cutting them it is over and done with in a few minutes plus no blood flow restricted to keep hurting afterwards
I have banded and cut I prefer to cut Only time I band is large bulls 600lbs or larger or if I am worried about flies
If banding I will use a cali crate bander
Cost is also a factor in banding think the last bands I bought were over $2 each on a 100 plus bulls that adds up

 

[Angus Cowman]

my old vet would say if you think those bands don't cause any pain, put one on your finger for little while

Exactly !!!!!

 

[cross_7]

my old vet would say if you think those bands don't cause any pain, put one on your finger for little while

Exactly !!!!!

I've thought the same thing.
I've seen some that sure seemed sore for several days.
The ones that are cut never seem to miss a beat, I did lose one years ago. I guess he bled out, just found him dead the next morning, but all the rest that were cut were fine.

 

[Big Cheese]

Thanks for all you guys comments this is something that I've wondered. We band with the green cherrio bands and they work really well. As far as I know we've never had problems with missing a nut we really check hard before we put the band on. It is hard however to tell. Its easier for us to band because it would be to much to try and cut them when they get older so we try and get them worked pretty early on if we can. Let me ask this question if you miss a nut....does that hurt the calf in any way?

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

I hurts the people down the road in a calves life. A stag in a pen of steers screws things up.

 

[Big Cheese]

When we miss banding a calf when it is first born and wait a couple of months before we finally band it I feel like they grow better when they are a bull the first few months of their lives then if we band them right when they are born. Do yall think that? Since alot of yall cut instead of band that has to a reason right? Just another wondering question for a young cattle farmer in myself.

 

[ANAZAZI]

They grow even better if you do not castrate them at all. If you castrate early you set the calf back less. If you castrate later it grows more before castrating, then it grows less for some time after the castration. Many point out that these two situations even out and that there is no difference in the long run in terms of growth. In terms of stress for the calf early is better.

 

[Big Cheese]

From what I've observed these last few years with our calves....I like leaving the nuts on for the first 2 months then band them. The few we've left on for the first 2 months have grown way more then the ones we banded at birth. Could just be a coincidence but you know its just something i've thought of.

 

[highgrit]

They grow even better if you do not castrate them at all. If you castrate early you set the calf back less. If you castrate later it grows more before castrating, then it grows less for some time after the castration. Many point out that these two situations even out and that there is no difference in the long run in terms of growth. In terms of stress for the calf early is better.

We don't see this with our steers, even though I've read this same kind of post before. We knife cut and implant them around 3 months old. When the calves are around 1 month old, they get a shot of Calvary 9 or Covexin 8 and a follow up when cut them. If I had to be steered, I would much rather be cut than banded myself.

 

[Big Cheese]

It just seems like a lot more work to me having to do all of this when you can just band it and be done.

 

[highgrit]

Big Cheese, I'm not telling you what to do. But I would make sure all my cattle had Blackleg and Tetanus shots.

 

[Big Cheese]

I know your not this is all opinions and learning experiences for everyone. We work all of our cows once a year and give everything black leg and Triangle 10 and worming. So everything gets black leg for sure every year. Maybe a few calves born late in the year don't get it but usually if thats going to happen we carry the shot with us when we band and/or tag the newborn.

 

[Lucky_P]

Some folks are opposed to it, and that's their right, but if you're castrating and not implanting...you're leaving money on the table.
Haven't sold more than one or two bull calves(yearling+ that we decided NOT to keep as cleanup bulls) through the salebarn in the last 10-15 years, but have some doubts that any dock we took for them being bulls offset the extra weight they gained by remaining intact .

 

[Big Cheese]

I've looked on our sale barn's sale price list every week and they don't start docking for being bulls until they get up to about 550 pounds. I hope this doesn't make me sound stupid but what is implanting?? 'Ive seen it on here a few times.