GROWIN' THE HERD

[Anonymous]

My herd has outgrown the service of a single bull. I am currently fall calving. Is it better to try to keep two bulls at the same time, or am I better of doing two calving seasons? If I am better of keeping two bulls do you have any tips to keep them happy? I am in the Hermann mo. area. Thanks so much.

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[Anonymous]

> My herd has outgrown the service
> of a single bull. I am currently
> fall calving. Is it better to try
> to keep two bulls at the same
> time, or am I better of doing two
> calving seasons? If I am better of
> keeping two bulls do you have any
> tips to keep them happy? I am in
> the Hermann mo. area. Thanks so
> much.

If you don't have the space to seperate your cows into two heards and run two bulls with them calving year round, I would get my cows on a cycle of all calving with in 3 months of each other and run 2 bulls for only 3 months after calving,by then all cows should be breed, if not, culled and then sale one of the bulls for a good profit until one month before they are due to start calving and then add your 2nd bull back again for the 3 month breeding. That way you will only be running 2 bulls for 6 months of the year. The way I have found that helps mine get along is, I buy a new cow/bull calf pair,for the purpose of saving the bull calf for breed bull letting it grow up together with my main bull and then selling its mother to keep from having any inbreeding. By them growing up together they seem to get along well enough that they don't injure each other, but one will always rule and the other will get what the one can't handle.

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[Anonymous]

Just be sure you wait 45 days after calving before putting the cow in with the bull. She needs that time to allow her reproductive organs to heal and get back to normal.

How many cows do you run? What is the market like in your area at the time you would be selling the calves if you ran both spring and fall calving. I've heard others say calving both seasons sounds like a good idea to start with but turned out to be a lot more work than they had anticipated.

If you don't have the space to
> seperate your cows into two heards
> and run two bulls with them
> calving year round, I would get my
> cows on a cycle of all calving
> with in 3 months of each other and
> run 2 bulls for only 3 months
> after calving,by then all cows
> should be breed, if not, culled
> and then sale one of the bulls for
> a good profit until one month
> before they are due to start
> calving and then add your 2nd bull
> back again for the 3 month
> breeding. That way you will only
> be running 2 bulls for 6 months of
> the year. The way I have found
> that helps mine get along is, I
> buy a new cow/bull calf pair,for
> the purpose of saving the bull
> calf for breed bull letting it
> grow up together with my main bull
> and then selling its mother to
> keep from having any inbreeding.
> By them growing up together they
> seem to get along well enough that
> they don't injure each other, but
> one will always rule and the other
> will get what the one can't
> handle.

 

[Anonymous]

Since you are fall calving, and I assume the majority of people in your area calve in the spring, I would think you would have a good chance at sharing bulls with someone else. Find someone who's cows are a good match with yours and who has the same ideas as far as bulls are concerned as you. One could own the bulls, and the other lease them for tax purposes.