Keeping bulls

[ncboy34]

I'm just kind of wanting opinions on what others do with bulls that you use for breeding. I only have about 6-7 cows that are grown and I breed every yea, looking to expand but its slow going. I also have a 10-15 feeder calves. The bull I have I bought in January and he should have my cows breed back by now. I've been thinking about selling him, then looking for another one when I would need one, as opposed to keeping him through the winter. How do yall manage your herd sires year in and year out?

 

[angus9259]

This doesn't really get at what you're asking, but I sell a lot of yearling bulls to folks like you then re-sell them for folks as two year olds to someone with a bigger herd. Then they come back for another yearling. Could you work with a breeder that way?

If you could offset your calving by a couple months, if you bought a good bull, you could use him and resell him to someone with a later calving season. When I did my commercial herd, I fall calved. I could always re-sell my bulls to spring calvers when I was done with them.

 

[JSCATTLE]

I know a man that runs 100 head .. he buys bulls in Feb. Every year at the sale barn ...usually 2 or 3, year olds he feeds them until march and turns out by June he sells them ...

 

[houstoncutter]

I know a man that runs 100 head .. he buys bulls in Feb. Every year at the sale barn ...usually 2 or 3, year olds he feeds them until march and turns out by June he sells them ...[/quot



Yea, trich rules in this state are a joke. I sold one my bulls the other day because he had become a fence jumper.He was a good looking bull that was 7 years old, but looked to be 4 years. Figured he would go to slaughter. had a fella call wanting to buy his papers.. Once again... so much for Texas trich rules.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I worked a deal with my neighbor to lease my Angus this winter, payment will go to heifers off one on my Hereford bull's he is using. Traded him one of my six month hereford bull calfs for 2 heifers next spring. You can barter a lot of ways.
I am selling off due to drought, I will look over the heifers I have retained and the ones I traded for and keep the best 10 or 12 and sell the others. I have enough hay to carry 14 or 15 from now till next spring, thank goodness I had stockpiled hay. I don't like anything about retaining heifers and it goes against my operating philosophy, I am gambling they are going to pure gold next spring bred to an Angus bull.