Managing Butcher bulls?

[Howdyjabo]

Anyone have any experience trying to feed thin butcher bulls (1200-1400lbs)?
Can you manage them as a group?
I have a feedlot that will be empty all summer that would be tough enough to hold them (solid, lined with hot wires)- but I don't think throwing 30 bulls together is going to work.
I could cut the feedlot up with hot wires and separate them into smaller groups.
Is there a hormone inhibitor that would work on them?

 

[mnmtranching]

I don't know? Seems like if you got a good facility and kept cows and other beef out of sight and smell should work OK to feed bulls.

 

[cross_7]

i've thought about doing the same thing and i decided that at .60-.65 per pound of gain, it just wasn,t worth it.
even thought about thin cull cows but at .45 per pound didn't excite me much.
so i do not have anything from when i sell in late spring til november, but i'm open for ideas
so keep me in mind if you find something that works

 

[Stocker Steve]

I have a feedlot that will be empty all summer that would be tough enough to hold them (solid, lined with hot wires)- but I don't think throwing 30 bulls together is going to work.

They feed bulls in a lot of places. I saw an article on grazing them in NZ. I think they kept the herd size down to about 20 to make the pecking order more obvious.

Otherwise, you could get out the big bander :idea:

 

[Howdyjabo]

Would be a wash on the weight gained-- but the original 1200lbs that originally sold for .45(aprox) would then resell for .70(aprox)
$300 pure profit
Thats the best profit I can figure on anything lately.

I don't think the band castration would help much- they will still be bulls for 30 days or more.
I like the idea of letting them fight it out at the salebarn
I know with Rams I used to lay down tires all over their pen-- they couldn't get up a whole head of steam with them in the way- and the ones that wanted to hide could get behind them.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Would be a wash on the weight gained-- but the original 1200lbs that originally sold for .45(aprox) would then resell for .70(aprox)
$300 pure profit
Thats the best profit I can figure on anything lately.

Banding would really knock your gain back for a few weeks, but you could run than back thru the chute after one week and cut off the residual.

Congrats on your flexibility. Have you looked at heavy feeder heifers? They seem to sell cheap in some regions.

 

[Howdyjabo]

Yeah I started with looking at low yield cows- but the price spread between low yield and high yield is only .15 on them(compared to .25 on the bulls). And then you have to deal with pregnant ones.
I tried finding a market for "white fats" that would increase the price spread- but no luck so far around here.


I have a small pen that I might experiment with 5 bulls in- just to see what happens.

 

[msscamp]

I have a small pen that I might experiment with 5 bulls in- just to see what happens.

They work it out, and then co-habitat quite peacefully. We've had 10 or so bulls of varying ages penned together for extended periods of time with no problems after the first day or so. The only time it got a little dicey was when one was sold, and we needed to move them into the sorting alley to sort him off. They got a little fractious(sp?) in the alley, and wanted to 'sort things out' again.

 

[Dave]

I know a guy who use to feed a lot of bulls. He said that all new comers were fogged down with ammomia before they left the chute. For some reason this significantly reduced the fights. He kept a big spray bottle full right at the chute.

 

[cross_7]

I know a guy who use to feed a lot of bulls. He said that all new comers were fogged down with ammomia before they left the chute. For some reason this significantly reduced the fights. He kept a big spray bottle full right at the chute.

for bullers most likely

 

[Howdyjabo]

The ammonia sounds interesting--
Every now and again I will get a fresh cut bull calf that the others want to ride.
Right now I just pull them out and keep them separate for a week or two
Wonder if the ammonia would work- and work long enough to get past the riding period?