my brangus bull's health....with pics

[moloss]

I bought this bull 2 months ago to cover 24 cows......well he hung out with them around the clock up until about four days ago, now all he does is eat and has nothing to do with them.....do y'all think he's covered them in two months or has he been so busy that he is now more interested in eating? does he appear thin to y'all? we do not feed only grass and mineral....oh and he's 8....now a couple pics to try and show his condtion.....just have never had a bull not graze with the cows (he actually seems to prefer to be by myself)......thanks

 

[ousoonerfan22]

He might be wore out breeding 24 cows in this hot weather!
He looks thin to me do you have a pen to start feeding him some pellets?

 

[moloss]

I don't really have a pen where he is but I guess I could start bringing him a bucket of feed when I go to check the cows....my previous bull was a great big red angus (2600 #'s) so to me the brangus seems thin but I wasn't sure if it was just an angus brangus thing (if that makes sense) thanks.

 

[B&M Farms]

Was he that thin 2 months ago? It could be he has lost some weight breeding 24 cows in two months. His genetic makeup has alot to do with it. There are brangus bulls that will put the weight on as good as any angus. And yes, it is possible for a bull to breed 24 cows in 2 months, but a few may not take and get bred again.

 

[J&D Cattle]

Pics are deceiving but he looks thin to me. All 24 cows could easily be bred. We have producers around here that run a 45 day window and if the cow doesn't stay in that window she is shipped. I don't run that tight but 60 days is about as long as I would like anyway.

 

[TexasBred]

I'd be praying that he's sterile. :cowboy:

 

[moloss]

nice....

 

[Massey135]

Grass and mineral aren't sufficient with your cattle selection type. That bull is 3-400lbs under weight. 24 cows can't work a bull enough to lose that much conditioning. If the bull has adequate quantity of forage and is in that poor of shape, you need to address the type issue as that type is not sustainable in your environment. That being said, you might just be overstocked.

 

[moloss]

it's been hot but the cows and heifers look good and we rotational graze so the grass is good.....I guess we need to supplement him so he can add some weight.....thanks

 

[cow pollinater]

I'd bet most of your cows are covered. Two months is right at three heat cycles so he got three chances per cow. If you want a nice tight calving season, pull him out now and cull anything that shows up open. If you're fine with it being a little more spread out then leave him in for another cycle. He'll gain some weight now that he's not working as much and he'll get another chance at the one or two cows that may still be open. He's pretty thin but I don't think you starved the labido out of him.
If it makes you feel any better, there's a hard and fast rule about bulls... The uglier they are, the more of your cows they stick. I'm pretty sure you've got some bred cows. ;-)

 

[moloss]

haha thanks......he's got good epd though and I got to see his calves from last year he's a keeper

 

[Massey135]

Ignorance is bliss.

 

[JustSimmental]

I bought this bull 2 months ago to cover 24 cows......well he hung out with them around the clock up until about four days ago, now all he does is eat and has nothing to do with them.....do y'all think he's covered them in two months or has he been so busy that he is now more interested in eating? does he appear thin to y'all? we do not feed only grass and mineral....oh and he's 8....now a couple pics to try and show his condtion.....just have never had a bull not graze with the cows (he actually seems to prefer to be by myself)......thanks

I doubt that he has covered them all in that condition-- especially in the Summer months-- why do you breed in the hottest part of the year?

Once you stress a bull like you evidently have done you can cause a bull to become a dysfunctional sire. Once overstressed, Spermatogenesis shuts down and takes approximately 90 days to return to normal. You should pull him and sell him if you are still seeing cows cycle --- get another bull in there to clean up and don't breed in the Summer months in the future and dont stress out a young sire that much. buy some feed

 

[KHereford]

We can always tell when the cows are bred when the mature bulls start staying away from the herd or spending more time talking to the cattle across the fence. 60 days is about that mark for them. I have seen bulls work them self down and gain back in no time when done breeding. If you just got him 60 days ago and put him to work he might not be used to your grass or management yet. If hes not sick or lame I would worm him and see what he looks like in 30 days, if cows are still cycling, get another bull.

 

[cow pollinater]

Ignorance is bliss.

And you are the happiest guy on the board.

 

[cow pollinater]

haha thanks......he's got good epd though and I got to see his calves from last year he's a keeper

What's he bred like? What do the cows that he's covering look like?

 

[Massey135]

Ignorance is bliss.

And you are the happiest guy on the board.

Heck, I'm still driving around looking for all those smoke colored replacement heifers you seem to think are out there... You know, since everyone is keeping replacements these days...

 

[SSGenetics]

haha thanks......he's got good epd though and I got to see his calves from last year he's a keeper

What's he bred like? What do the cows that he's covering look like?

I'd be interested to see what type of cattle he is covering too.... Interesting choice of bull for sure.

 

[wbvs58]

Ignorance is bliss.

And you are the happiest guy on the board.

Well said.
Ken

 

[Massey135]

Ignorance is bliss.

And you are the happiest guy on the board.

Well said.
Ken

You have any cows, ken - or are you a coffee shop guru as well?