Keeping Bull Alone...

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

Since we mostly AI and have never kept an older bull (beyond a year), I only have experience with one! However, since he was weaned he was in a pasture right next to the yearling heifers all winter. He would talk to the girls, and every time they came into heat of course they would tease him and ride each other right next to the fence (3 strand hot wire). Never had a problem! However, about a month ago we decided to use him on a few wet two year olds that did not stick to the first AI. He bred 3, and then became injured (vet thinks that he either fell when he thrust or a cow jumped him while he was breeding - his loin has a huge hematoma on it and he is limping on his right side). We pulled him out and separated him again. Our April yearling came into heat two days later, and that night I went to go check heats and the bull was in with the heifers, even with his injuries! All I can figure is he hopped over the hot wire because there was no hole in the fence and he was in taking care of business with the April heifer! I guess now that he knows what his job is he takes it serious when one of the girls came in!!! :lol2:
So, he will be sold in the fall, since we really do not need to keep a bull around and he needs to be used! We hope he heals to show him at State Fair this year, but time will tell. I might use him to tighten up two cows that calved late this year (May and June).

 

[Stocker Steve]

I have one that walks thru 4 strand barbed wire and goes over 4' wire mesh panels. What are the chances a hot scare wire on a 4 strand barbed will keep him in?

A bull that behaved like that wouldn't last long on some farms. Disposition is a trait that can get passed down to his progeny too so some guys won't tolerate an ornery bull that is be nice on fences and other things and will send him to town if he doesn't get tempted to shoot him before that!

He is the mellowest bull I have ever seen.
He is just girl crazy.

 

[SPH]

We've always kept our bulls in a 50 acre pasture. The past few years we've had trouble around April..They get bored and ready to work, they fight. We've been keeping a few bulls longer than usual, and with older bulls they fight more. So, this year i think we'll cull the older bulls and buy a few more younger ones. This winter we had trouble with 2 of the older bulls and the younger ones picked a side and they all went after our older red bull. They picked him up and threw him over the fence down an embankment and we think he landed on his head. He died a couple weeks later. The year before that, we had another thrown over the fence the same way and he died the next day. Only 2 old bulls are left, and they may hit the road this fall the other 9 are young..
Being alone depends on the bull..

Yikes! Stories like that make me wonder how some can tolerate bull behavior like that. If we had that happen those bulls would be on their way to town in no time. You invest good money into a bull usually, would be pretty pissed if one died like that and I know some guys around here that might not have even waited to take them to town they would have got their gun out and taken care of them right there.

I like this ad the Hereford Association has run in some of the cattle publications :

 

[Stocker Steve]

I like this ad the Hereford Association has run in some of the cattle publications :

So Hereford bulls are OK alone?

 

[salebarn junkie]

We've always kept our bulls in a 50 acre pasture. The past few years we've had trouble around April..They get bored and ready to work, they fight. We've been keeping a few bulls longer than usual, and with older bulls they fight more. So, this year i think we'll cull the older bulls and buy a few more younger ones. This winter we had trouble with 2 of the older bulls and the younger ones picked a side and they all went after our older red bull. They picked him up and threw him over the fence down an embankment and we think he landed on his head. He died a couple weeks later. The year before that, we had another thrown over the fence the same way and he died the next day. Only 2 old bulls are left, and they may hit the road this fall the other 9 are young..
Being alone depends on the bull..

Yikes! Stories like that make me wonder how some can tolerate bull behavior like that. If we had that happen those bulls would be on their way to town in no time. You invest good money into a bull usually, would be pretty be nice if one died like that and I know some guys around here that might not have even waited to take them to town they would have got their gun out and taken care of them right there.

I like this ad the Hereford Association has run in some of the cattle publications :

So you would sell or shoot 9 bulls because one bull was killed probably one of the dumbest comments I've read on here in a long time.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

We have one Angus bull who absolutely cannot be left alone. He stays in the pasture just fine as long as he has a companion....or 30.

 

[fitz]

I was thinking of selling my bull...but then thought maybe I should just move him to a separate pasture to keep him from the young heifers. Does he need company or can he be by himself? I am pretty sure I know the answer...but wanted to get any thoughts. Thanks.

Timothy

I don't leave mine by themselves. They always have a companion. Usually a bred cow or two.

fitz

 

[cowgirl8]

We've always kept our bulls in a 50 acre pasture. The past few years we've had trouble around April..They get bored and ready to work, they fight. We've been keeping a few bulls longer than usual, and with older bulls they fight more. So, this year i think we'll cull the older bulls and buy a few more younger ones. This winter we had trouble with 2 of the older bulls and the younger ones picked a side and they all went after our older red bull. They picked him up and threw him over the fence down an embankment and we think he landed on his head. He died a couple weeks later. The year before that, we had another thrown over the fence the same way and he died the next day. Only 2 old bulls are left, and they may hit the road this fall the other 9 are young..
Being alone depends on the bull..

Yikes! Stories like that make me wonder how some can tolerate bull behavior like that. If we had that happen those bulls would be on their way to town in no time. You invest good money into a bull usually, would be pretty be nice if one died like that and I know some guys around here that might not have even waited to take them to town they would have got their gun out and taken care of them right there.

I like this ad the Hereford Association has run in some of the cattle publications :

If we knew who was causing the trouble, we would have gotten him out. But, they sat around getting along all winter until one day. I guess unless you have the problem, you dont really know how you'd handle it. I dont like losing thousands of dollars either..We are though going to try to not keep bulls longer, except its hard to get rid of a proven bull.

 

[inyati13]

I bought my Angus bull about 3 years ago from Wright Angus, Paris, KY. When I visited John Wright to select a bull, he wanted me to see their herd bulls before I went to the pasture to select my bull. There were a dozen mature bulls. He has a couple buckets of mixed feed. He poured it on a bare spot on the ground. The bulls came and we walked right into the bunch. I asked John about being in the position we were. He said my family has raised Angus for over a 100 years right here. My mother was 91 years old and walked the herd bulls from pasture to pasture with a bucket of feed. I can see her in my mind, a tobacco stick in one hand and a bucket of feed in the other leading a dozen angus bulls. She gave them a lick with the stick if they misbehaved.

John is older than I, probably near 70. He said they never had a bull on the farm that caused any trouble. He did tell me about 4 stories of cows that he said were absolutely crazy. Someone mentioned shooting a bull, John said they had a cow that they had no choice but to shoot her. Every attempt he and his brother made failed. He also told a story of getting a tranqulizer gun from a vet to deal with another cow.

But he said the bulls have been carefully selected for docility and new bulls they bring in to inject new genes are screened for docility above all else. He said they never had a bull make an attack. The danger of being in a group, he said was when they push each other.

I no longer have that bull as I am going in a bit of a different direction. But that bull, true to John's words was extremely docile. I scratched him anywhere he was. He walked the fence with my neighbor's bull and mine never acted up. He never carried on but he bred every cow that came into heat.

 

[greybeard]

I have one that walks thru 4 strand barbed wire and goes over 4' wire mesh panels. What are the chances a hot scare wire on a 4 strand barbed will keep him in?

A bull that behaved like that wouldn't last long on some farms. Disposition is a trait that can get passed down to his progeny too so some guys won't tolerate an ornery bull that is be nice on fences and other things and will send him to town if he doesn't get tempted to shoot him before that!

He is the mellowest bull I have ever seen.
He is just girl crazy.

Some bulls have more elevated "libido" than others. Might be mellow as the cartoon Clarence bull most of the time, but when that libido kicks in, it's all balls-to-the-wall action.

Needs to be a really hot wire, and 2 wires are better than one. One about or a little more than normal nose high, one a bit lower.

 

[Workinonit Farm]

I think I will try him alone in the pasture. There are no cows that he will be able to see...but about 200 yards away are the neighbors cows (through the woods).

I would be sure that the fence between your bull and the neighbor's cows is good and sturdy and bull-proof. Just in case he decides he wants to 'go visiting'.

Katherine

 

[SPH]

So you would sell or shoot 9 bulls because one bull was killed probably one of the dumbest comments I've read on here in a long time.

Would never shoot a bull unless immediate safety was a concern but definitely would not tolerate owning a bull that possesses a safety threat not only to the people who have to handle him but the other livestock too. Do you find bulls that killed another bull in their pen acceptable behavior? I don't care how good a bull is, if his behavior puts safety at risk he doesn't have a place on the farm. Your life and the lives of anyone that comes near him is worth more than any bull you'll ever own. There are old timers around here that I'm pretty sure would shoot a bull if he witnessed one pushing another through a fence and killing him. Some guys have more tolerance than others but don't see why anyone in their right mind would want to keep a bull that you can't turn your back on without having to worry about safety.

 

[Workinonit Farm]

Do you find bulls that killed another bull in their pen acceptable behavior? .

Personally, no, I don't. And I am not suggesting that it is okay.....BUT.....unless a person actually witnessed the event, you don't know which bull or bulls did it.

Where I used to work, there were on average 14 bulls. All used for clean-up, and most of the time they were together in one pasture (when not being used for clean-up). Most times the pasture they were in was at leas 25 acres. Most times there were no issues outside of the usual "establishing the pecking order" and most times they got along with each other just fine. However, over the course of the 10 1/2 years that I worked there, 4 bulls were pushed through fences and scuffed up. 2 bulls were killed by being 'beaten up' by other bulls and 1 had to be shot, due to a broken leg, when he was pastured with 1 other bull and rougly 80 cows.

What I'm saying is, in certain environments, and situations, and large operations it can happen without knowing specifically which bull or bulls did the killing.

Katherine

 

[SPH]

Understandable explanations. I could see how my comments might have come off as a little over the top, your thinking can change based on perspective and situation. We're small enough that we typically only have 1 sometimes 2 main bulls on the farm and another pen of 3 or 4 yearling sale bulls that are usually all sold by the time breeding season starts so if any undesirable behavior occurred we'd have a pretty good idea which one it was and send him off to town. Fortunately Herefords are known for their good disposition and ours over the years have been pretty problem free and do just fine when they have to be in a pen on their own. Can only remember of 1 bull we had that did some minor things like tip over feed bunks or a hay ring from time to time but he never posed a threat to someone in the lot and was more of a show off. He's the one that the shoot the bull comment came to mind as we had some old fella over potentially looking to buy him when we were done using him and the bull was bellowing at us and pawed at the ground while looking at him and the guy told us "not sure I could put up with that, I'd probably loose my patience some day and shoot him if he did that all the time."

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Ever jump in and break up a fight between a couple of 3 year old bulls, one Angus and the other Hereford, using nothing but a wooden walking cane?

Might not have been the smartest move I've ever made but I got my point across and the fighting stopped...

for a short time anyway....

8)

 

[inyati13]

Ever jump in and break up a fight between a couple of 3 year old bulls, one Angus and the other Hereford, using nothing but a wooden walking cane?

Might not have been the smartest move I've ever made but I got my point across and the fighting stopped...

for a short time anyway....

8)

Larry as big as you are, the bulls were probably more scared than you were.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Ever jump in and break up a fight between a couple of 3 year old bulls, one Angus and the other Hereford, using nothing but a wooden walking cane?

Might not have been the smartest move I've ever made but I got my point across and the fighting stopped...

for a short time anyway....

8)

Larry as big as you are, the bulls were probably more scared than you were.

I realized after a few minutes I might have bitten off more than I could chew but I couldn't let them know that. Luckily they broke up and the Angus dove into the pond but a little while later they were at it again so I gave up trying to be the referee between them.

 

[salebarn junkie]

So you would sell or shoot 9 bulls because one bull was killed probably one of the dumbest comments I've read on here in a long time.

Would never shoot a bull unless immediate safety was a concern but definitely would not tolerate owning a bull that possesses a safety threat not only to the people who have to handle him but the other livestock too. Do you find bulls that killed another bull in their pen acceptable behavior? I don't care how good a bull is, if his behavior puts safety at risk he doesn't have a place on the farm. Your life and the lives of anyone that comes near him is worth more than any bull you'll ever own. There are old timers around here that I'm pretty sure would shoot a bull if he witnessed one pushing another through a fence and killing him. Some guys have more tolerance than others but don't see why anyone in their right mind would want to keep a bull that you can't turn your back on without having to worry about safety.

There's know such as a bull you can turn your back on and not worry about your safety. Bulls fight that's part of being a bull if you don't want bulls to fight only have one bull. Only a idiot would shoot a bull that doesn't have you cornered with know way out. That said if bull shows aggression towards people he should be sold.

 

[cowgirl8]

when we buy bulls, we like buying in pairs. When we buy LBW angus, both go out in the herd together while they are young and we try to keep them in pairs as they age. This is to keep bulls buddied up and they seem to stay out of stuff if the other bull in the herd is their buddy. The 2 new young angus we have get along and work well together. BUT, as we were moving the herd yesterday one of them must have said something to the other and they just went after it. We dont speak their language and they outweigh us, so pretty much all you can do is ignore them, stay out of their way and keep your fingers crossed no one gets hurt. We kept the heifers moving, they worked it out and all was good.
I'm really hoping that the red bull we lost this winter is the bull who was causing problems. We plan to buy a couple more bulls and i really want to sleep good at night not having to wonder if the thousands we just spend on a bull isnt going to be crumpled on the road when i go out in the morning... What a sight it must have been seeing a 2000 pound sim bull flying over a fence.. ugh

 

[Lazy M]

Until a clear pecking order is established bulls will fight. In my experience it's always best to partner young and old bulls together so that the young bull gets whipped quickly and gives up. I try to only run groups of cows that can be covered by 2 bulls if possible. I try to keep the same bulls partnered up as long as possible. We've got 6 bulls or 3 teams of 2 that never mix with each other.