Feeding young bull

[colleen]

If you have a 7 month old bull and you just turn it out into the pasture, will it mature and grow (to be used as a herd bull) or do you HAVE to feed it grain everyday? I know that if you supplement it daily it will be better but if not will the bull be stunted etc?
Thanks!

 

[B&M Farms]

If you have a 7 month old bull and you just turn it out into the pasture, will it mature and grow (to be used as a herd bull) or do you HAVE to feed it grain everyday? I know that if you supplement it daily it will be better but if not will the bull be stunted etc?
Thanks!

Im assuming you are talking about winter pasture that is being fertilized. If so, he would grow fine. If not he will probably need supplemented with grain. I have never raised my own bull but have raised heifers on rye grass, clover and hay without grain successfully.

 

[colleen]

Cows are well fed and healthy. Bull is 9 months old now. I was just told that the bull could be stunted or not grow to his full potential as a working bull, if not supplemented. There are 6 or 7 cows not bred in pasture with him. Just curious.

 

[B&M Farms]

A 9 month old bull shouldn't be pastures with open females and his nutritional needs will be a lot higher than grown cows bred or open. He could receive enough nutrition from high quality grass alone but it would be hard to maintain this grass all year long. He probably needs grain.

 

[colleen]

Thanks!

 

[denvermartinfarms]

He needs grain.

 

[3waycross]

Those cows won't be open for long!

 

[Alan]

You are putting a 7 or 9 month old future herd bull in a pasture with open cows and expect him to get enough feed, by fighting off other mature cows, to grow into a future herd bull? I have raised my own clean up bulls and they need plenty of feed. I keep them with a steer and both get all the hay they can handle and plenty of grain. I want a 1200 to 1400 plus lb bull at 12 to 14 months. Your herd gets no better than your bull. Meaning your cows can be great but bred to cr@p they still turn out cr@ppy.

 

[shaz]

Since were on the subject,
Would a 14% pellet free choice and stemmy hay be ok for a 24 month old bull just coming off his first round of breeding?

 

[dun]

We turn our bull prospects out with the bred cows during the winter , none of them get any supplement. In February we bring them in because the cows are starting to calve. Once they are in and eating hay instead of stockpiled fescue we will grain them at about 1% of their weight. Ours have never been stunted. But, and it's abig one, our genetics have been selected over the years to perform on stockpiled winter fescue pasture and gain weight/condition through the winter.

 

[Banjo]

I have raised replacement heifers and an occasional herd bull over the last 4 of 5 years, with no grain. The whole herd doesn't get any grain. We have had good rainfall here over the last 4 years. They get hay when they run out of stockpiled fescue and orchardgrass. I'm sure my cattle have become adapted to that lifestyle. There is research out there that shows grass developed bulls and heifers are more fertile. i would feed corn sparingly if I did feed any.

 

[angus9259]

Your herd gets no better than your bull. Meaning your cows can be great but bred to cr@p they still turn out cr@ppy.

How does not feeding a bull affect his genetics? Even if he's stunted, it doesn't change the DNA and what he'll throw. :???:

 

[Banjo]

I have a 3/4 charolais x 1/4 angus bull at this one place that I have. when he gets my cows bred he jumps the fence and goes to my neighbors cows. my neighbor don't have problem with it because he likes the calves he gets out of him. So as a favor too me....he takes the bull to his home place along with his other bulls and keeps him till next may or june till I need him. I appreciate him keeping the bull for me, which allows me to keep some heifers without the worry of them getting bred to soon, but he feeds him and his other bulls corn along with hay on very sparce pasture. When he brought him too me this past year I couldn't believe how big he had got. I would like to keep him a few more years, he's only about 4 years old. Bulls tend to get big anyway, but too much corn will get them there faster.

 

[3waycross]

I have a 3/4 charolais x 1/4 angus bull at this one place that I have. when he gets my cows bred he jumps the fence and goes to my neighbors cows. my neighbor don't have problem with it because he likes the calves he gets out of him. So as a favor too me....he takes the bull to his home place along with his other bulls and keeps him till next may or june till I need him. I appreciate him keeping the bull for me, which allows me to keep some heifers without the worry of them getting bred to soon, but he feeds him and his other bulls corn along with hay on very sparce pasture. When he brought him too me this past year I couldn't believe how big he had got. I would like to keep him a few more years, he's only about 4 years old. Bulls tend to get big anyway, but too much corn will get them there faster.

Corn will get them fat. Genetics will determine how BIG they get!

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

You said a whole lot right there 3way. A young bull on grass ain't going make the grade for breeding at 14 months. He may get the job done but he will look like some the Craigslist bulls we see on here from time to time. Young bull grown out on grass at two years will look good and work well.

 

[colleen]

He is no longer our bull. We sold him at 7 months. I was just asking because someone said that a young bull needs feed to grow up into a quality bull. Our vet told us that we didn't need to be feeding our cattle feed. Or a young bull or heifer for them to grow like they should as long as they are getting good grass and hay. But if it makes US feel good then we could give a handout now and then. It just seems like if you want something to grow healthy you give them what they are supposed to be eating and you don't over feed them to get them big faster so that they can be sold sooner.

 

[colleen]

Kind of like water buffaloes in Africa in a a herd of like 300.... Noone is probably supplementing those young bulls but yet one or two manage to grow up to be a big fine breeding machine. Genetics?? Or piling on the grain? Show calves get stuffed full of feed daily. Why do they get fed soo much feed everyday?

 

[greybeard]

Show calves just have to look good to a judge and there's a limit on the time the owner has to get them in show condition--it's all visual--they don't have to do any performing like a herd bull does. (Unless they are show heifers, most show calves are steers anyway)

Those wild African bulls? I dunno--ask Isomade, I believe he has one posted down in the Coffee Shop. He's the resident expert on those.

 

[colleen]

Haha. Yeah. I'm just wondering. We do feed our bull but not as often now. Vet said he didn't need it. I do get that a little bull chasing around open heifers will get run down. But he will still grow and mature, it will just take a lot longer, right?

 

[Banjo]

Haha. Yeah. I'm just wondering. We do feed our bull but not as often now. Vet said he didn't need it. I do get that a little bull chasing around open heifers will get run down. But he will still grow and mature, it will just take a lot longer, right?

Yep