Need advice on a Bull

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That IS a nice bull. Decent length and deep muscle into the hock, and not a pot gut like so many. Hope his problem stays solved and he's back to health. And I second @Jeanne - Simme Valley and want to see a pic of the Hereford.
Edit: Oh, you were too quick for me. That's a nice bull too, from what I can see. Better pic
I'm a little short on good photos of my Hereford, he's been attention deprived since I've been so busy doctoring and watching the angus.

I paid 4k each, but I'm not going to make money by skimping on the bulls. Last time I rented my bulls and wasn't happy with the results-this time I know (or have a better idea) what type of calves I'll end up with.
 
That IS a nice bull. Decent length and deep muscle into the hock, and not a pot gut like so many. Hope his problem stays solved and he's back to health. And I second @Jeanne - Simme Valley and want to see a pic of the Hereford.
Edit: Oh, you were too quick for me. That's a nice bull too, from what I can see. Better pic?
Edit again: How many cows are they covering?
Right now I'm at 41 potential mommas out there in the field…. I'm hoping to get very close to that number bred 😬
 
I am personally not a fan of Polled Herefords but will say that is a pretty nice bull. If I had the choice I would have bought another black like the other you have or a Horned bull. I just like the way they are built better.
 
I am personally not a fan of Polled Herefords but will say that is a pretty nice bull. If I had the choice I would have bought another black like the other you have or a Horned bull. I just like the way they are built better.
Thanks for saying so-I have to say I too love horned Herefords, and probably prefer them over the polled ones as well. This fella is pretty great though.

I have to say around here Herefords are few and far between, my quest to add them to the farm here would probably have been an interesting thread. Growing up my granddad (and every other cattleman around here) raised Herefords. By the time I enlisted they started being replaced by black herds and today, they are scarce. If somebody local has some commercial Herefords they don't want to sell them, but that's a big if anyhow…because there aren't many. I've always been partial to baldies, and have wanted to produce some nice ones.

I looked for months, used order buyers, attended sales myself, and still ended up getting my Herefords 1 or 2 at a time. I even wound up buying some 800 lb heifers out of a feedlot, it was a challenge putting a few together for the farm. Now I'm going into the breeding season with 14 Herefords, the balance of my other cattle being black Angus-although three of my Herefords were bought as bred cows so goodness knows what they'll pop out.

I figure with these 2 bulls I'll still get my baldies, will get some solid black (which I like), and will eventually end up with some nice Herefords-as I'm figuring building the Hereford herd with what I have now is the only practical way to do it here. The only thing I'll end up with that I won't really be excited about are my Hereford steers-but I'll raise them as best as I can to combat the red hide discount…hopefully.

I don't have experience dehorning yet…maybe I'll pick that up soon and the next Hereford bull will have some horns. With that said, I'm pretty happy with the fella I have now ☺️.
 
RNF Don't know who you have been working with but from what I see you are working with good livestock people.
I would not recommend reinventing the wheel. Keep up the good work. LVR
 
Thanks for saying so-I have to say I too love horned Herefords, and probably prefer them over the polled ones as well. This fella is pretty great though.

I have to say around here Herefords are few and far between, my quest to add them to the farm here would probably have been an interesting thread. Growing up my granddad (and every other cattleman around here) raised Herefords. By the time I enlisted they started being replaced by black herds and today, they are scarce. If somebody local has some commercial Herefords they don't want to sell them, but that's a big if anyhow…because there aren't many. I've always been partial to baldies, and have wanted to produce some nice ones.

I looked for months, used order buyers, attended sales myself, and still ended up getting my Herefords 1 or 2 at a time. I even wound up buying some 800 lb heifers out of a feedlot, it was a challenge putting a few together for the farm. Now I'm going into the breeding season with 14 Herefords, the balance of my other cattle being black Angus-although three of my Herefords were bought as bred cows so goodness knows what they'll pop out.

I figure with these 2 bulls I'll still get my baldies, will get some solid black (which I like), and will eventually end up with some nice Herefords-as I'm figuring building the Hereford herd with what I have now is the only practical way to do it here. The only thing I'll end up with that I won't really be excited about are my Hereford steers-but I'll raise them as best as I can to combat the red hide discount…hopefully.

I don't have experience dehorning yet…maybe I'll pick that up soon and the next Hereford bull will have some horns. With that said, I'm pretty happy with the fella I have now ☺️.
Are you a generation skipped from farming? You mentioned Grandad……
Dehorning with a hot iron under 6 weeks of age is simple and done right is effective in removing horns. You have to be thorough…
We have gotten away from Hereford cattle, the bulls we were using sired heifers that were very shy breeders compared to Angus sired heifers. I know there are lots of others that do breed up well but a person can only push a rope so far.
Good on you for following a dream and starting with good bulls! Cows of decent quality can be gathered up reasonably if you take time to get them, then use those good herd sires to produce better calves than their mothers are.

Concerning the steers…. In our area Hereford calves take quite a hit, kept to yearlings, not near as much spread. Fact is they are a slower maturing breed and calves don't fit the feedlot world we live in today.

Best of luck and look forward to more photos!
 
Thanks for saying so-I have to say I too love horned Herefords, and probably prefer them over the polled ones as well. This fella is pretty great though.

I have to say around here Herefords are few and far between, my quest to add them to the farm here would probably have been an interesting thread. Growing up my granddad (and every other cattleman around here) raised Herefords. By the time I enlisted they started being replaced by black herds and today, they are scarce. If somebody local has some commercial Herefords they don't want to sell them, but that's a big if anyhow…because there aren't many. I've always been partial to baldies, and have wanted to produce some nice ones.

I looked for months, used order buyers, attended sales myself, and still ended up getting my Herefords 1 or 2 at a time. I even wound up buying some 800 lb heifers out of a feedlot, it was a challenge putting a few together for the farm. Now I'm going into the breeding season with 14 Herefords, the balance of my other cattle being black Angus-although three of my Herefords were bought as bred cows so goodness knows what they'll pop out.

I figure with these 2 bulls I'll still get my baldies, will get some solid black (which I like), and will eventually end up with some nice Herefords-as I'm figuring building the Hereford herd with what I have now is the only practical way to do it here. The only thing I'll end up with that I won't really be excited about are my Hereford steers-but I'll raise them as best as I can to combat the red hide discount…hopefully.

I don't have experience dehorning yet…maybe I'll pick that up soon and the next Hereford bull will have some horns. With that said, I'm pretty happy with the fella I have now ☺️.
Could you not refrain from making the Hereford bull calves into steers and raise a few Hereford bulls? I'd think some people would pay 1800 or so for a yearling bull that looked like that Hereford.

One of the Hereford sales on DV Auction just averaged about 7 to 8 thousand per bull, BTW.
 
Gcreek- I am indeed a generation removed from raising cattle (kind of). Like most farm stories it's complicated, but I'm happy to be the one who picked it back up. My grandfather started raising them in about 1947, and my uncle farmed alongside him until 2000. Uncle got killed in a farming accident, and my granddad passed away a few years later. My dad is quite alive, but never really took to raising cattle. He likes the idea of farming for sure-but I think he likes it in theory only. When I first retired I tried to farm with him, and figured he could show me the ropes -but that didn't survive 2 years, and only left hard feelings. It's really a shame we couldn't make a go of it together.

So I started fresh from scratch by myself in late 2020 and went about the hardest route I could, starting with a farm full of heifers. Learned a lot of lessons my first calving season…but lessons I'm thankful for!

And Roc, your point is well taken. I've just steered every male up to this point, but I was still sizing up my cows. There's a few that if they give me a bull they should give a really nice one. Actually I may keep a couple bulls out of that Angus as well. To be honest, I'm still learning a lot, but most of the bulls I'm seeing for sale locally should have been steers. I don't want to be the next Craigslist post everyone on here gets a chuckle out of 😂. So if I do keep some intact they'll be some nice ones 😊
 
What are your cows ? Mostly one breed or mixed breeds and colors . My point : my suggestion would be to split your herd between the 2 bulls . Probably with today's market it's safe to breed the black bull to anything but you have to be careful with the Hereford. I'd only want to get red baldies or black baldies from him . Personally black ones do better in my area .
 
Gcreek- I am indeed a generation removed from raising cattle (kind of). Like most farm stories it's complicated, but I'm happy to be the one who picked it back up. My grandfather started raising them in about 1947, and my uncle farmed alongside him until 2000. Uncle got killed in a farming accident, and my granddad passed away a few years later. My dad is quite alive, but never really took to raising cattle. He likes the idea of farming for sure-but I think he likes it in theory only. When I first retired I tried to farm with him, and figured he could show me the ropes -but that didn't survive 2 years, and only left hard feelings. It's really a shame we couldn't make a go of it together.

So I started fresh from scratch by myself in late 2020 and went about the hardest route I could, starting with a farm full of heifers. Learned a lot of lessons my first calving season…but lessons I'm thankful for!

And Roc, your point is well taken. I've just steered every male up to this point, but I was still sizing up my cows. There's a few that if they give me a bull they should give a really nice one. Actually I may keep a couple bulls out of that Angus as well. To be honest, I'm still learning a lot, but most of the bulls I'm seeing for sale locally should have been steers. I don't want to be the next Craigslist post everyone on here gets a chuckle out of 😂. So if I do keep some intact they'll be some nice ones 😊
I just paid 1800 for a 18 month old that probably won't come close to looking as good as that Hereford. I'd at least test the market.

Spending 8000 on two bulls for 40 head is also not overspending. You did good IMO. Should get the money back in calf quality.

I really like the Angus, too. Post pics of the calves!
 
What are your cows ? Mostly one breed or mixed breeds and colors . My point : my suggestion would be to split your herd between the 2 bulls . Probably with today's market it's safe to breed the black bull to anything but you have to be careful with the Hereford. I'd only want to get red baldies or black baldies from him . Personally black ones do better in my area .
Just Black Angus and Herefords here, so shouldn't end up with any crosses I wouldn't want. Like I said though, a few of my Herefords arrived at the farm bred, so may have a few off color calves shortly 😂

A quick edit for an addition: at feeding time today my Angus is doing great still 😁
 
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Just Black Angus and Herefords here, so shouldn't end up with any crosses I wouldn't want. Like I said though, a few of my Herefords arrived at the farm bred, so may have a few off color calves shortly 😂

A quick edit for an addition: at feeding time today my Angus is doing great still 😁
Awesome news ! We lost our heifer bull a couple years ago to a bad hoof/foot . Worse case it was a back one . He laid up several months in the shade letting me bring him water and feed before he was able to get on the trailer. Funny thing I got 15 calves out of him , bad foot and all . Think the girls were coming to him cause he was always in the same spot . 🤔
 
Gcreek- I am indeed a generation removed from raising cattle (kind of). Like most farm stories it's complicated, but I'm happy to be the one who picked it back up. My grandfather started raising them in about 1947, and my uncle farmed alongside him until 2000. Uncle got killed in a farming accident, and my granddad passed away a few years later. My dad is quite alive, but never really took to raising cattle. He likes the idea of farming for sure-but I think he likes it in theory only. When I first retired I tried to farm with him, and figured he could show me the ropes -but that didn't survive 2 years, and only left hard feelings. It's really a shame we couldn't make a go of it together.

So I started fresh from scratch by myself in late 2020 and went about the hardest route I could, starting with a farm full of heifers. Learned a lot of lessons my first calving season…but lessons I'm thankful for!

And Roc, your point is well taken. I've just steered every male up to this point, but I was still sizing up my cows. There's a few that if they give me a bull they should give a really nice one. Actually I may keep a couple bulls out of that Angus as well. To be honest, I'm still learning a lot, but most of the bulls I'm seeing for sale locally should have been steers. I don't want to be the next Craigslist post everyone on here gets a chuckle out of 😂. So if I do keep some intact they'll be some nice ones 😊
 
Goes that way at times, I left home at 16. Went back occasionally for visits but never stayed long. Married at 19, two fine boys by 23. We all grew up together……
Started with less than nothing, still have most of that left but we've added to it a bit.

Went the route of home raised bulls for about ten years. Didn't do us a lot of good as the bulls one thinks will be the best don't always turn out that way. We buy about 12 to 15 annually now. Good bulls don't come cheap but cheap bulls cost you more in the long run.
 
have you goten bulls at test station before?.....i've heard they pump them up on feed then when they get turned out they melt.
 
Around here, "most" Hereford cattle gave horned genes (hetero polled). Best thing the Hereford did was combine the two breeds. At least, best thing for the POLLED breed.
When we moved here from Kansas, we thought there were a lot of pizz poor backyard breeders. A lot of Hfds out here 1978, but they were small and frail compared to the big rangy cows we were used to seeing. Finally figured out EVERYTHING out here was POLLED Herefords. Major difference.
 
Wickliffe is about as far from me as you can get and still be in Kentucky. I went duck hunting near there when I was a kid a couple of times and all I remember is flat and wet river bottoms that were in corn. Lots of sloughs and oxbow lakes, not what I would call cattle country.
Really enjoyed reading this thread and am impressed by your bulls and your plan for your cattle operation.
Best of luck, sounds like you are a little better financed than I have been most of my life.
 

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