How many cows for one bull?

[gabby]

I am running one bull with 85 cows with year-round calving. I think I'm breaking all the rules but it seems to be working.

Rawhide (the bull) is a registered black angus and my cows are mixed hereford and limousine with a few black replacement mamas starting to calve. Rawhide is my second black bull.

Yesterday I tagged 49 calves that were born since 12/11/04. I think I'm getting a high percentage calf crop but I don't have sufficient records to know exactly.

I also sold 25 head yesterday and they seemed to sell toward the upper end of the weight ranges based on the USDA report from that sale.

Calving seasons won't work here due to other activities that make it infeasible to have separate bull pastures.

Rawhide is 5 years old and he's been my herd bull for 19 months. He's fat and happy. I keep telling myself I need to replace him soon with two bulls, but then I wonder if I will be fixing something that ain't broke.

How long can I keep Rawhide? Should I replace him with two bulls?
Thanks in advance for your advice,
gabby

** Rawhide - you da man! **

 

[msscamp]

While I will admit that I'm far from being an expert on the number of cows/heifers a bull can reasonably cover, I would think that as long as your bull is maintaining his condition he is ok. Year round calving takes a lot of the pressure off of him as the females are not all coming into heat within a 30-60 day period. I am curious about one thing though, are they strictly on grass or are you supplementing them? No particular reason for asking, just curious. Sounds to me like it isn't broke, so why fix it?

As far as how long you can keep him, obviously you will need to seperate his heifer calves of breeding age and use a different bull, but as long as he is getting the job done and you are happy with the results - go for it. Our herd bull has been covering the main bunch for at least 3 years. His daughters are serviced by other bulls.

If I'm wrong, I'm sure I will be corrected. Actually, I'm rather curious to find out if I have it right or not.

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

Agree. If the "bull isn't broke, don't fix it." Unless one or more cows are infertile (for whatever reason), you should have a 100% calf crop if bull is viable & doing his job.

 

[greenwillowherefords]

Since your cowherd is not stacked with Rawhide's genetics, it would probably be acceptable to breed his heifers back to him for one generation. My grandfather and uncle did/ still use this rule of thumb and have for years with no problem.

LLL Ranch of Tennessee has a bull named Farley whom they say breeds 70 cows in the pasture every year besides being collected for AI whenever needed, and maintains his condition. In his case, I'm positive he is breeding something like 35 spring calvers and 35 fall calvers, so he's doing some heavy work twice a year besides his AI duties. Having said all this, it leads me to believe that your bull should do fine with the 85 scattered out the whole year. If that works for you, fine. You could separate them into two seasons by simply putting half of them in another pasture and switch the bull back and forth at the appropriate times.

 

[preston39]

"The Cow-Calf Manager:

Managing Natural Service and Artificial Insemination 5/98

John B. Hall, Animal and Poultry Sciences, Virginia Tech

By breeding time, calving season is over, the grass is green and the weather is warmer. A great time to be in the cattle business. Often our attention is pulled towards spring planting, equipment repairs or the kids' ball games rather than the cattle operation. It's tempting to open the gate, let the bull in and say "go to it boy". But the breeding season, especially the early part, deserves our attention whether we're using AI or natural service. We need to manage the breeding season just like any other critical portion of the beef operation. The success or failure of this management will be realized nine months from now.

Last month we emphasized pre-breeding nutrition and examinations, now lets look at some other management considerations for the breeding season.

Natural Service

Bull to cow ratios
Research indicates that we can run more cows per bull. For years, we used the blanket recommendation of 25 to 30 cows per bull and limit yearling bulls to 20 cows per bull. But research indicates that we could go as high as 60 cows per mature bull. My current recommendation for bulls age 2 and up is one bull for every 40 cows. Research from Georgia demonstrated no difference in conception rates for bulls bred to 25 cows or 40 cows in a 90-day breeding season (Figure 1). There also was no difference between 2 year-old and 3 year-old bulls in their ability to breed 40 cows.

It is essential that bulls pass a complete breeding soundness exam before being turned out. Yearling bulls should be limited to no more than 30 cows.

Although most Virginia beef herds need only one or two bulls, some large herds use several sires in the same pasture with large numbers (100+) cows. Many producers believe this gives them insurance against sub-fertile bulls. However, the dominant bull will always breed most of the cows and defend his "right" to do so. If the dominant bull is sterile, this can mean poor conception and pregnancy rates for the herd. If multi-sire breeding groups are going to be used, bulls should be age and size matched. If young bulls are placed with older bulls the young bulls will only sire about 25 % of the calves. In addition, he usually becomes a punching bag for the older bull. Bulls from multi-sire groups usually have more injuries including broken penises and tend to leave the herd sooner.

Monitor Bull and Cow Performance
Bull performance should be monitored for the first 5 days of the breeding season. Producers need to watch bulls and cows closely for the following:

Are bulls finding and mounting cows in heat?
Do bulls actually service cows upon mounting?
Once a bull has serviced a cow does he move on to the next cow in heat?
How many cows have been in heat in the first 5 days of the breeding season?
Bulls should be able to find, mount and service cows in heat efficiently. Remember when cows first come into heat they sometimes stand for other cows but not for the bull. Cows should stand for the bull by the middle of heat. Once a bull has serviced a cow once or twice he should move on and attempt to service other cows that are in heat.

Approximately one fourth (1/4) of the herd should be in heat during a 5-day period. This rate usually varies from 15 to 35 % in normal herds with a large percentage of cycling cows. If only 5 to 10 % of cows are in heat, there may be a low percentage of cows that are cycling and producers may need to consider some alternative management practices. These alternative management practices may include: synchronization with Syncro-mate B or MGA, calf removal, or increased nutrition. These practices may be used alone or in combination.

Cows should also be observed for 5 days starting about 19 days after the bulls were turned out. If a large percentage of cows that were in heat and bred are in heat again, there may be a problem with the bull.

Bull Nutrition
I have covered different aspects of cow nutrition over the last few months. Nutrition of the bull is no less important. Bulls need to be in body condition score 5 at the start of the breeding season. They should be no thinner than BCS 4 by the end of the breeding season. Bulls may need additional energy supplementation during the breeding season to maintain body condition and fertility. It is especially important for yearling bulls to receive extra energy during the breeding season. Finding and breeding large numbers of cows requires a lot of energy.

Estrous Synchronization and Natural Mating
Estrous synchronization can be used effectively with natural mating as long as the synchronized estrus occurs 13 to 14 days before the bulls are turned in. In Kentucky, we fed MGA (0.5 mg/head/day) to heifers for 14 days then turned the bull in 13 days after the last feeding of MGA. In 601 heifers from 12 herds, we had a 69% conception rate to the first heat after we turned in the bull. These systems work well for heifers. Information on this system is available from your extension office.


Artificial Insemination
Producers interested in artificial insemination may want to get a copy of two new handouts called "Managing Artificial Insemination in Beef Herd" and "Estrous Synchronization Systems for Artificial Insemination and Natural Service". Contact your local extension office for a copy.

In order to start or improve a beef AI program, producers should do the following:

Analyze your interest and attitude towards using AI in your herd
Check the nutritional program and status of your herd
Evaluate your facilities
Decide on an AI system
Review estrus detection and learn ways to reduce detection time
Check your cattle handling practices
Take an AI course or refresher workshop

Attitude and Commitment
Without a doubt, a positive attitude and extreme commitment are the most important management tools needed for successful AI. There is no reason to even consider AI if you are only going to make a half-hearted attempt. Producers with a negative attitude to AI are destine to fail.
In addition to time and labor, some new costs (see Table 1) are associated with AI. Often reducing the number of bulls used for natural service offsets these costs. Added value of the calves usually makes AI a profitable addition to a beef breeding program.

Table 1. Cost comparison of breeding systems

Breeding System
Natural Service 21 day AI, no synchronization, clean-up bull 21 day AI w/ synchronization, clean-up bull 70 day AI, no clean-up bull
Breeding cost per pregnant female (100 cow herd) $ 32.00 $ 32.10 $ 38.50 $ 40.00
From Nebraska data

Good Estrus Detection (Checking Heat) Is the Key to Successful AI

Without good estrus detection it doesn't matter how good an inseminator is; cows just won't conceive. Cows ovulate approximately 24 to 30 hours after the beginning of estrus or 12 - 14 hours after the end of estrus. However, semen must be deposited in the female reproductive tract several hours before ovulation to insure high conception rates. Cows remain in estrus for 8 - 16 hours.

The average life span of an ovum (egg) in the female reproductive tract is about 8-12 hours. The life span of sperm in the reproductive tract is about 30 - 48 hours. Therefore, it's better to inseminate too early rather than too late. However, on time is the best. Breed 12 hours after you first see the cow in heat.

Follow the old a.m. - p.m. rule - If in heat in the morning before noon, breed the cow that p.m. In heat in the afternoon or evening, breed the next morning.

Cows should be checked at least twice a day at dawn and dusk. This will catch 80-90 % of the cows that show heat. Additional heat checks will increase the number of cows you find in heat, but usually the extra time is not justified in a beef operation. DO NOT check heat on cows at feeding time. When eating, cows are not interested in expressing estrus.

Tip - Using binoculars will make reading ear tags easier without disturbing cows.

Weather and environment can greatly impact expression of estrus in cows.


If the weather is hot, check heat before dawn and after dark. Evening heat check may have to be delayed until 10:00 to 11:00 at night. A hand held spotlight is real handy.
If it's raining, cows will often quit riding each other. Wait until rain has stopped or slowed down.
Cold usually does not influence estrus expression unless it is accompanied by severe winds and blowing snow. Windbreaks can help.
Poor footing due to mud or ice will decrease the cow's willingness to ride or stand. Moving cows to less slippery conditions will improve heat detection.

Estrous synchronization
Beef producers should use estrous synchronization. Without a doubt an AI program in a beef herd will be difficult and too time consuming if estrous synchronization is not used. Simply this reduces the intensive heat check period from 21 to 5-7 days. Many beef AI programs have worked without estrous synchronization; however, it is a very labor-intensive method to operate an AI program. Consult the publication "Estrous Synchronization for AI and Natural Service", your local veterinarian or extension professional for information on estrous synchronization.
Estrus detection aids
Producers should seriously consider using one of several heat detection aids available today. These assist the producer in identifying cows in heat more rapidly and can also indicate cows that expressed estrus between the normal heat check times. I also recommend breeding based on these aids. Occasionally it costs some semen but often cows conceive that would otherwise be missed.

Remember these are just aids - THEY DO NOT REPLACE VISUAL HEAT DETECTION.

Care must be used in interpreting the results of these aids to reduce false positives.

Estrus detection aids include Kmar patches, Bovine Beacons, Chin ball markers, Marking harnesses, Electronic heat checking devices (Heat Watch) or Marker animals. For most beef operations, marker animals along with marking devices or patches are the most efficient and economical detection aid.

For more information on estrus detection aids consult "Managing Artificial Insemination in Beef Herds", contact your extension office or give me a call.

Some Tips For Handling Cattle For AI

KEEP USE OF 4-WHEELERS AND HORSES TO A MINIMUM - only use on cattle that are used to being herded this way.
INSTRUCT HELPERS ON PROPER WAY TO HANDLE CATTLE
NO HOTSHOTS OR WHIPS - use sorting sticks and tail twisting sparingly
SORT OFF COWS IN HEAT 12 HOURS BEFORE BREEDING - for example cows found in heat in a.m. should be sorted before noon for p.m. breeding.
PUT BRED COWS IN SEPARATE PASTURE FROM UNBRED COWS - This keeps you from working recently bred cows and makes checking heat easier on the remaining animals. Don't forget to move calves with cows.
NO DOGS - no matter how good a cow dog they cause cattle to get excited.

Visit Virginia Cooperative Extension"

 

[preston39]

By John B. Hall
Extension Animal Scientist, Beef
Virginia Tech

"Preparing bulls for the breeding season

4.05.05

Spring is on its way and for spring calving herds breeding season is just around the corner. Often bulls are the forgotten animals in the cow/calf herd. With the activity of calving season, many of the "old boys" are just biding their time in the bull pen or back pasture. Getting bulls ready for the breeding season is like spring training for ball players, the better the training period the more likely they are to complete the season with good numbers.
Management Before the Breeding Season
Young Bulls. Many of you have recently purchased bulls at one of the many bull sales in the state. You made a considerable financial and genetic investment in your herd. However, many of these bulls come out of these sales still in need of additional management and hardening-off before they are ready to breed cows. Bulls from these sales are usually over-conditioned even though they may have been off-test for a month. For example, bulls from the BCIA Bull Test Stations are fed a lower energy ration for about 1 to 1.5 months before sale to start hardening them off. Bulls need to be in body condition score (BCS) 5 or 6 at the start of the breeding season and be physically fit.
Young bulls should be placed on a planned nutrition program. These bulls still need to gain 1.5 to 2 pounds per day while losing their excess condition. In other words, they still need to gain frame, capacity and muscle while losing fat. Bulls should be worked down gradually from their test or post-test diets to their farm diet. Bulls that lose weight too rapidly or crash will have lower fertility and difficulty making it to the end of the breeding season. Get a copy of the diet your new bull was eating at the farm or test station where you purchased him and gradually move towards the farm diet.
Bulls need lots of exercise to get ready for the breeding season. Bulls that are in good physical shape have higher libido and will have fewer injuries during the breeding season. Although bulls get some exercise fighting and playing with other bulls in their group, forced walking is still needed so bulls will be fit. Placing feed and minerals at one end of a pasture and water at the other end will force bulls to make several trips per day. The bigger or longer the pasture the better.
Young bulls should be kept with bulls their own age and weight. Many young bulls are injured when they are thrown in with other older more dominant bulls. Stifle joint, shoulder and leg injuries are the most common. Bulls that can't walk or mount cows will not get cows bred. Young bulls housed with older bulls just become expensive punching bags.
Most young bulls in Virginia are sold after having passed a breeding soundness exam. However, if your new bull has never had a breeding soundness exam or if it has been longer than four months since his exam, he needs to have a breeding soundness exam. Using a bull that hasn't had a breeding soundness exam is like playing roulette. All too often I hear a story from a Va. beef producer where he only had a 40 to 50 percent calf-crop because he didn't have his bull checked. Breeding soundness exams are inexpensive compared to the cost of lost calves. Prices will vary from veterinarian to veterinarian depending on whether he comes to the farm or you bring the bull to the clinic. Generally, the test cost is $30 to $60 not including the farm call charge.
Older Bulls. Older bulls also need to get into physical shape for the breeding season. Mature bulls should be in BCS 5 at the start of the breeding season, and stay in BCS 4 to 5 for the duration of the breeding season. Most are fat after the winter and time off from last breeding season. Some are too thin. Generally, mature bulls just need good quality hay available at all times. The same exercise strategy used for young bulls, with placement of feed and water at opposite ends of the pasture, should be used on older bulls.
All older bulls should have a full breeding soundness exam before each breeding season. Not only will this exam evaluate his reproductive systems, but it will evaluate his feet, legs and eyes as well. Older bulls that have been inactive often need their feet trimmed. If the breeding soundness exam is given 30 to 60 days before the breeding season, then producers have enough time to replace the bull if needed.
Both older and young bulls need some basic management during the breeding season to insure a high pregnancy rate in cows. First, they should be observed for the first few days of the breeding season to ensure they are:
1. Finding cows in heat
2. Able to mount cows
3. Able to service cows
Although bulls have passed a breeding soundness exam, they have not been checked for libido (desire to breed) or breeding ability. Older bulls may lose libido and stop breeding cows. Other times, injuries that were not apparent earlier are keeping them from breeding cows. In both low libido and inability to mount situations, bulls need to be replaced. Young bulls sometimes have trouble servicing cows. Some will learn with a little practice, but others never are capable and need to be replaced. It is important that you actually observe bulls servicing cows to confirm their ability to breed.
Bulls should be maintained in single sire groups or in multisire groups of age and size matched bulls. Young bulls placed with older bulls get injured and breed few cows. Research indicates that in multisire breeding groups the dominant bull will breed 60 to 75 percent of the cows. Even when the dominant bull is infertile, he will often prevent other bulls from mating with cows in heat. So the advantages to multisire groups can be minimal. A better option is to rotate bulls among single sire breeding groups every 3 to 4 weeks.
On most Virginia farms, the ideal cow to bull ratio is 25:1 or 30:1for mature bulls and 15:1 to 20:1 for 15-month-old to 18-month-old bulls. The rule of thumb for young bulls is one cow for every month of age. In managed grazing situations where paddock size is small, mature bulls may be able to handle 40 to 50 cows.
Bulls should be monitored for body condition and injuries. Body condition should be monitored weekly. If bulls fall to BCS 4, they should be supplemented or they should be replaced. Bulls should be seen daily or at least several times per week and checked for injuries. Injured bulls should be replaced immediately. Injured bulls will not get better if they remain with cows so they should be replaced and rested.
Good management of your bulls will pay off. So give the fellas a little extra attention and they'll do a better job with the ladies."

 

[jerry27150]

sounds like your bull is doing fine to me. recently had a vet tell me ran a red angus bull on 63 cows for spring freshening & all were bred fine & he never seen one get bred. i normally run one to around 40 cows & they are youger bulls

 

[brokenmouth]

I am running one bull with 85 cows with year-round calving. I think I'm breaking all the rules but it seems to be working.

Rawhide (the bull) is a registered black angus and my cows are mixed hereford and limousine with a few black replacement mamas starting to calve. Rawhide is my second black bull.

Yesterday I tagged 49 calves that were born since 12/11/04. I think I'm getting a high percentage calf crop but I don't have sufficient records to know exactly.

I also sold 25 head yesterday and they seemed to sell toward the upper end of the weight ranges based on the USDA report from that sale.

Calving seasons won't work here due to other activities that make it infeasible to have separate bull pastures.

Rawhide is 5 years old and he's been my herd bull for 19 months. He's fat and happy. I keep telling myself I need to replace him soon with two bulls, but then I wonder if I will be fixing something that ain't broke.

How long can I keep Rawhide? Should I replace him with two bulls?
Thanks in advance for your advice,
gabby

** Rawhide - you da man! **

gabby its interesting that its working for you. so far. interesting articles too. but i still stay its nothing short o f miraculous if all your 85 cows continue to give you a calf every 12 months. even if 75% do it will still be something beyond realistic expectations. if he breeds 50% of your cows for a calf every 12 months you have one great bull. so far he has quite a record going but with 85 cows even with a year round calving season he wont be able to keep it up if youll pardon the expression.

 

[preston39]

From Cow and Calf 5/27/05

"Don't Forget About The Bulls

As breeding season approaches, generally everyone's thinking about getting cows and heifers in shape for the breeding season. A tight breeding season results in a tight calving season, which generally is the most economical for producers.

However, the cow is only half of the equation. Don't forget about the bulls! Here are some things to consider:

One of the most important, often underutilized, tools is a breeding soundness exam (BSE). A BSE will allow the technician/veterinarian to assess the fertility of a bull based on scrotal circumference, sperm motility and sperm morphology.

When selecting herd bulls, emphasis is placed on growth performance, EPDs and soundness. These are all good criteria, and no one should try to use a lame or unsound bull for breeding. However, there's nothing wrong with putting a bull on the table for a good foot trim, if he needs it, a month before the start of the breeding season. If he's going to hit the ground running, he should have the best set of wheels he can get.
Vaccination/deworming. Herd bulls should be on the same vaccination/deworming schedule as the cows. Since vaccination schedules vary as much as production systems do, there's no "correct" schedule. If in doubt, vaccinate and/or deworm your bulls about two weeks before they go out to pasture.

Body condition. When a bull is out working the cows, his mind is only on one thing, and it's not feed. In the peak of the breeding season, some bulls will breed 6-8 cows/day, and hardly eat. Bulls should be in a similar body condition score as replacements heifers, ideally, from 5 to 6.5.
Bull:cow ratio. There's a lot of variation in producer opinion about how many cows a bull can service. Try this little rule of thumb: one bull can service as many cows as he is months old, up to 50 months.
For example: A 15-month-old bull can service 15 cows, a 24-month-old bull can service 24 cows, and a 50-month-old bull can service 50 cows. After 50 cows, you're starting to really push the limits of what even an older, more experienced bull can accomplish in a 60-day breeding season.

Fertility-Associated Antigen. Some bulls are inherently more fertile than others, due in part to a protein called fertility-associated antigen (FAA). The FAA protein is found on the sperm cells of some bulls and results in a higher percentage of sperm capacitation, and therefore a higher rate of fertilization.

Studies show FAA-positive bulls are about 17% more fertile, and get more cows bred in a 60-day breeding season. A chuteside test available from ReproTec, Inc. Tucson, Ariz., can test for FAA. It takes about 20 minutes/bull and can easily be incorporated into the routine bull breeding soundness exam.

For more info on bull management or to read this article in its entirety, visit the University of Minnesota Extension Service Beef Team website at http://www.extension.umn.edu/beef.
-- Bethany Lovaas, University of Minnesota Beef Team"

 

[Bama]

As long as he is doing his job and maintaining condition I wouldn't change a thing. 1 bull is cheaper than 2. The only problem is if your cow's are being bred on time. Check your records and see if any of them are going to long between calving. 85 spread over a year is within his range. Where you get into a problem is if several of them come in at near the same time. If it worked last year chances are they are fairly spread out. If thats the case he will be fine. Just watch his condition.

 

[jerry27150]

an older bull will only breed a cow one or twice, where a yearling falls in love with each one & tries to breed the same one often all day

 

[bigbull338]

when i dairied i always ran 1 bull to 100 or more cows as for losing body cobdition he always weighted over 2000lbs had 1 bull to go over 3000lbs taking care of 100cows scott

 

[gabby]

Thank you everybody for the informative comments. I just got back from a weekend trip and that's why I haven't replied sooner.

I think I'll keep ol' Rawhide at least 6 months longer and keep my eye peeled for a proven replacement and not let my herd get any bigger. I'm very reluctant to have two bulls in the same pasture. Plus it feels like a good time to level off the herd size or maybe even cut it by a few head.

I'd like to find a proven black baldy bull because I prefer white faces and about half of my mama cows are solid red or solid black. My place is on a busy highway and you can't see the black 'uns and red 'uns at night if they get out. Haven't had any out for a couple of years now but I know it will happen again.

Any comments on using a black baldy bull? I'm new at this so I'm clueless. :help:
gabby

 

[greenwillowherefords]

Thank you everybody for the informative comments. I just got back from a weekend trip and that's why I haven't replied sooner.

I think I'll keep ol' Rawhide at least 6 months longer and keep my eye peeled for a proven replacement and not let my herd get any bigger. I'm very reluctant to have two bulls in the same pasture. Plus it feels like a good time to level off the herd size or maybe even cut it by a few head.

I'd like to find a proven black baldy bull because I prefer white faces and about half of my mama cows are solid red or solid black. My place is on a busy highway and you can't see the black 'uns and red 'uns at night if they get out. Haven't had any out for a couple of years now but I know it will happen again.

Any comments on using a black baldy bull? I'm new at this so I'm clueless. :help:
gabby

A hybrid bull is going to have less data behind him, and will have less genetic kick on the cows that have at least one of the same breed in them. Having said this, I would say that a black baldie bull would work for you. I would either get a proven one, or try him on a few head of proven older cows the first time to make sure you don't have a train wreck. There is one not far from me. They are using him on Brangus type cows. The calves look good, and they retain the white face.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but: As long as you still consider and call it a black baldie, if you must have this color combo, maybe the so-called black hereford would work for you.

 

[Muratic]

I can't believe I'm saying this, maybe the so-called black hereford would work for you.

Willow, did you cut yourself when you were fileting fish? That comment just sounds like a lack of blood flow to the brain.

Gather yourself together man, you're scaring me. :shock:

 

[greenwillowherefords]

I can't believe I'm saying this, maybe the so-called black hereford would work for you.

Willow, did you cut yourself when you were fileting fish? That comment just sounds like a lack of blood flow to the brain.

Gather yourself together man, you're scaring me. :shock:

Well, as long as they recognize it for what it is, a hybrid, a black baldie, with the higher percentage of herf blood, if they can identify what the herf bloodlines were, it might be a littlemore predictable...maybe. :?: I can't believe I even suggested it.....maybe I should edit all this out :roll: :idea: :shock: :help: what has happened to me :?: It must have been that hot sun while I was fileting fish. :idea: