Holstein Bull Calves
- Thread starter CopeMan
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There just isn't all that big og a demand for Holstein bulls unless they're from a highly respected dairy or one of the places that raises and develops dairy bulls. The ones that get used are usually from a registered cow with DHIA records and from bulls that are well proven in the dairy industry.
dun
dun
shorty
Well-known member
There would be no market for breeding bulls but I have a friend raises about 30 each year as steers ,he sells them by the half and Quarter as frezer beef , he does pretty good
cowspider
Well-known member
Arn't dairy bulls supposed to be agressive ??
OP
OP
CopeMan
Well-known member
dun":g6rjg5jc said:
Ive heard that they can get real mean. Meaner than any beef breed, but there can a be a crazy one in any breed. They are huge bulls though. I mean Holstein Bulls have got be some of the biggest bulls that I have ever seen. What do you all think?
CKC1586
Well-known member
I was raised on a dairy farm and my Dad had Holsteins. He had his own bulls off and on and escaped some pretty scary attacks cuz those suckers DO GET MEAN. Almost always had a cattle dog. The last bull he had before going to 100% AIing only could be prusuaded to get back into his pen with the tractor with a front end loader.
A couple of years ago some friends near the old homestead had a Holstein bull attack his wife and she was in the hospital for awhile.
I wouldn't want to mess with them myself.
A couple of years ago some friends near the old homestead had a Holstein bull attack his wife and she was in the hospital for awhile.
I wouldn't want to mess with them myself.
OP
OP
CopeMan
Well-known member
Some years ago when I was in middle school, I was at the cattle market with my dad. We were watching the trucks unload cattle , when this truck witha trailer full of holsteins came through. It must have been a dairy farm's culls. But among these eight or nine cows was a holstein bull that was like a mutant. to tell you how tall he was he nearly cleared those bars that come across alleyways, I know a good 8 feet tall. And that is no lie. It was scary he must have been a freak of nature. He had everyones attention. the guy doing the unloading that day was astonished. Is this coomon for holstein bulls to get this big?
Medic24
Well-known member
We raise quite a few holstien steers ever year. We will usually try to sell them either between the weights of 250-350, or over 600 lbs. seems the price changes so drasticly between those two weights that often we had gotten less for a heavier calf then we did for a younger lighter one. Make sense?
The problem with holsteins is this, they seem to be more effected by downward price trends then do beef breeds, at least that has been our experience anyway. So, in fact we are selling a number of them in the next week because of the upcoming border opening. It may or may not effect them, but we want to take advantage of the market now.
If you live anywhere near Greenville, TN you can take advantage of the graded holstein steer sale that they have 2 times a year. one in April, and one in Sept. We try to time our calves for that, but we are going to go earlier this year.
My most important advice, is , try to time the market as best you can, otherwise you may pay a premium for the newborn calves and wind up selling them for close to what you initially paid for them, done that a few times bfore.
Another idea is to sell them as beef or starter steers for private sale, we have done well that way.
The problem with holsteins is this, they seem to be more effected by downward price trends then do beef breeds, at least that has been our experience anyway. So, in fact we are selling a number of them in the next week because of the upcoming border opening. It may or may not effect them, but we want to take advantage of the market now.
If you live anywhere near Greenville, TN you can take advantage of the graded holstein steer sale that they have 2 times a year. one in April, and one in Sept. We try to time our calves for that, but we are going to go earlier this year.
My most important advice, is , try to time the market as best you can, otherwise you may pay a premium for the newborn calves and wind up selling them for close to what you initially paid for them, done that a few times bfore.
Another idea is to sell them as beef or starter steers for private sale, we have done well that way.
jerry27150
Well-known member
if you can get hooled up to kosher veal contractor you can make big money with them. you can buy your own or they will buy them for you & you feed them a mostly liquid diet til they are around 300 lbs
We buy bottle bull calves from a dairy here and finish them out. Advantage is you can buy them cheaper than a beef calf because the dairies don't really want to mess with them. They usually keep their heifer calves and add them to their herd. A few sell all their calves to someone to finish out and then buy back what heifers they want. Disadvantage is they take a little longer to finish and the packers don't want to pay as much for them. Have not heard of too many using bulls. Mainly AI. A few use clean up bulls. And yeah - they get BIG.
Dave
Well-known member
I have done very well raising Holstein bulls for breeding bulls. I started doing this because my neighbor who milks 350 cows said if he had the room to raise bulls he would do it. It doesn't cost any more to raise a bull than it does a steer. I sell then at about 1100 pounds and I generally get about twice what a steer of that size is worth. I don't just get any calf. I get my calves from one of two dairies that 100% AI. The calves come from their top cows. I record both the sire and the dams milk records and use that information when selling the bulls.
Most herds around here are fed TMR. Whether the bulls are used as clean up bulls or just a straight bull bred herd, the bull has access to the TMR feed 24/7. The bulls eating like that just don't last very long. They get too big too quick. This causes the dairymen to have to rotate them out regularly. Where as a three year old beef bull is just hitting his stride a three year old dairy bull is rare.
It is a smaller nich market but I have raised 20 in a year and done real well. I know that I could raise 50 in a year and not flood my market. I think it depends on your area, number of dairies, and the size of the dairies.
Dave
Most herds around here are fed TMR. Whether the bulls are used as clean up bulls or just a straight bull bred herd, the bull has access to the TMR feed 24/7. The bulls eating like that just don't last very long. They get too big too quick. This causes the dairymen to have to rotate them out regularly. Where as a three year old beef bull is just hitting his stride a three year old dairy bull is rare.
It is a smaller nich market but I have raised 20 in a year and done real well. I know that I could raise 50 in a year and not flood my market. I think it depends on your area, number of dairies, and the size of the dairies.
Dave
cowspider
Well-known member
Dave, what about their temperment ? I too am in SW Washington, so have
several dairys in the area. would a Dairy Bull make a good herd bull to add some milk to my angus and herefords ??
several dairys in the area. would a Dairy Bull make a good herd bull to add some milk to my angus and herefords ??
Dave
Well-known member
cowspider, I wouldn't use a holstien to breed the beef cows. Although you would certainly add milk to the herd, you would take a real beating on the calves you sell from that first cross. I have bought dairy cross heifers and bred them to a beef bull, that way your calves are only a quarter dairy.
As for the temperment on dairy bulls. The bulls I raise are sold when they are 13 to 15 months and haven't developed an additude yet. So they aren't difficult to handle. One of the other reasons that dairies I deal with go through bulls so regularly is that the first time they look side ways at anyone they get an all expense paid trip to McDonalds. And I don't raise Jersey bulls. For some reason Jersey bulls have a real additude problem.
Dave
As for the temperment on dairy bulls. The bulls I raise are sold when they are 13 to 15 months and haven't developed an additude yet. So they aren't difficult to handle. One of the other reasons that dairies I deal with go through bulls so regularly is that the first time they look side ways at anyone they get an all expense paid trip to McDonalds. And I don't raise Jersey bulls. For some reason Jersey bulls have a real additude problem.
Dave
Medic24
Well-known member
I agree with you on the Jersey Bull attitudes, we have seen it here on occassion, odd, the are in fact the most "femine" looking of all the bulls we have ever rasied, but yet, suffer from mean temperments at times.
Just as a side note, we are selling all of our holstien and jersey calves over the weight of 200lbs in the next week or so, just to hedge against any major price drops, it has happened before, and we don't relish holding cattle to sell for the same price we would have gotten 6 months earlier.
If no major drops occur we can always raise more.
Just as a side note, we are selling all of our holstien and jersey calves over the weight of 200lbs in the next week or so, just to hedge against any major price drops, it has happened before, and we don't relish holding cattle to sell for the same price we would have gotten 6 months earlier.
If no major drops occur we can always raise more.
