introducing a new bull calf to the herd

[scf84]

i bought a bull calf about 400lbs to replace my current bull who is getting some age on him, my question is how do yall introduce them to the herd?

i got him sunday and put him in the catch pin. the next morning i put two of my cows in there with him that didnt have any calves to keep him company and get ajusted to them anyhow. the first night my bull stayed around the catch pin and snorted and pawed, but isnt paying him any attention now.

the new calf isnt wild or anything, i can walk up and pet him a few times before he moves away, im just afraid of releasing him to a place hes never been.

 

[Rafter S]

I don't know where you got him, but when you can turn him out will depend on whether or not he was weaned before you got him. If he wasn't, then I'd recommend keeping him penned for at least a week, or he may leave trying to find his mama. If he was weaned before you got him then you should be able to turn him out with your cows pretty much any time. If you don't know his background or history, you should be able to tell whether or not he was weaned by his behavior. If he's walking the fence and bellowing then he's not weaned.

 

[Toad]

If I had bought a bull calf to keep as a herd bull I would probably keep him separate anyway. A weaned calf that small would need more grain of some sort to help him develop. At this time of year my cows are on just grass and minerals and I don't think that would work for a weaned 400lb calf. Without knowing your setup its hard to give advice.

 

[Bigfoot]

I'd settle him for atleast 2 weeks, before I just turned him out. His genetic potential is the same if you push him with feed or not. i kept 2 bull calves this year, and pushed them with feed till they were a 1000 pounds. grass from there on. You might want to consider feeding this one as well. Once again, it won't make him throw a better calf.

 

[scf84]

he has not been weaned
i was planning on keeping him in there for about 2 weeks to be safe, was just wanting to be sure i wasnt being to cautious

 

[Nesikep]

400 lbs is pretty light for a bull calf.. what breed is he and how old?
I would probably grain him a while, he's got a LOT of growing to do in a fairly short time if you want to turn him out in May.. How many cows does he need to take care of? Are you keeping the older bull for another season?

My bulls actually get along VERY well as long as there's no breeding to be done.. they're best buddies in the off-season though. Only problem about having them together is their different feed requirements.

 

[scf84]

he is around 5 months old, i have been feeding him 16% mix from coop. do i need to be feeding him something better.
this is there bulk feed with pellets, cracked corn, cottonseed hulls, maybe couple more things.