Feeding yearling bulls

[tamarack]

What kind of ration do you use to feed yearling bulls. I have a pen of pb shorthorn bull calves 600lbs or so right now feeding 10lb of good whole oats free choice hay and molasses mineral lick others say I should change to barley to get more gain. I am feeding to get them ready for breeding in June or July.

 

[dun]

Ours get about 2% of their weight of 13% grain mixture and free choice hay post weaning for about 2 months. Then they get turned out with the bred cows till calving starts. Then they go back to the bull pen and get about 1% of the mixture and free choice hay until we turn them out for breeding or sell them as breeding bulls. Folks seem to like the idea that they don;t fall apart during breeding season and still gain weight on jsut pasture during that time.

 

[hillsdown]

What kind of ration do you use to feed yearling bulls. I have a pen of pb shorthorn bull calves 600lbs or so right now feeding 10lb of good whole oats free choice hay and molasses mineral lick others say I should change to barley to get more gain. I am feeding to get them ready for breeding in June or July.

How old are they ?

 

[Bigfoot]

I don't push a young bull with feed. There is absolutely nothing wrong with doing it, I just don't. The genetic information they bring to the equation is the same either way. I would rather just get some protein in front of them, and let that be that.

 

[tamarack]

They are April/May calves they weigh more than I thought weighed a few this morning 725 lbs, 754lb,732lb they were weaned in late nov.

 

[hillsdown]

They are April/May calves they weigh more than I thought weighed a few this morning 725 lbs, 754lb,732lb they were weaned in late nov.

When I grained my bulls I would feed steam rolled barley . I don't know if you will get much of a difference feeding barley over oats though .

 

[East Caney]

To piggy back on this question...

Does it make much difference whether a yearling bull getting 12-14 lbs of feed a day (14% commodity mix) gets it in split feedings or at one time? I understand that you have to work up to the amount of feed they're getting, but does it matter if it's split or not?

Thanks,

EC

 

[hillsdown]

To piggy back on this question...

Does it make much difference whether a yearling bull getting 12-14 lbs of feed a day (14% commodity mix) gets it in split feedings or at one time? I understand that you have to work up to the amount of feed they're getting, but does it matter if it's split or not?

Thanks,

EC

It is better for them to split it up into 2-3 times a day instead of all at once unless you are using a TMR feed ration and they cannot pick and choose what they eat. That being said you also need to work around what is best for you time and schedule wise as well as your bull .