no calfs this yr

[skyhightree1]

Db test may come back off the charts great but my bulls constantly check cows and if they aren't bred he will lick on them and woo them till they stand then off to the next. They will bring them into heat he may bred them but he's not proactive.

 

[milkmaid]

Past vaccination history?

Do you share fencelines with neighboring herds?

BCS/feed type over the winter?

If they're 4-6 months behind normal, how long past calving were they when they settled?

 

[greybeard]

Milkmaid:
Is there any way for the vet to determine (thru an exam) if one or any of the currently bred cows has slipped a calf in the last 6-7 months?
Would it leave scar tissue that would be readily evident?

Sky:

Db test may come back off the charts great but ......[snip/snip]..........he may (have) bred them but he's not proactive.

You/we don't know that to be a fact.

Unless there is something with the bull, found to account for the cows being 5 months behind schedule, there are any number of possibilities as the cause.

DB:
If the test comes back "perfect" in all respects, you may not be any better able to make a decision. All you will know is you have a sound/potent bull as of the day of the test.
What is going on today is not as important as determining what went wrong back in the preferred and expected breeding window and whether it was bull or female related (or both). Sure hate to see you sell your bull only to find the new one fares no better.

 

[dieselbeef]

Past vaccination history?

none..we didnt vac prior to the vets rec.

Do you share fencelines with neighboring herds?

nope..completely closed herd. we only bring in virgin heifers as well

BCS/feed type over the winter? same as in the prior 10 yrs..no prior issues

If they're 4-6 months behind normal, how long past calving were they when they settled?

unknown. most if not all had calfed on schedule last period

 

[dieselbeef]

and therein is my biggest problem gb...if its a repro problem getting a new bull wont hlp me..cept to part with a ton o cash

 

[skyhightree1]

GB I see your point. I personally right or wrong probably wrong will get a new bull once they reach 6-7 yrs old.

 

[LauraleesFarm]

You can test the bull and he can test super hot but dont assume that potency is the total answer. He could have libido issues or a sore area in his back or hind leg or may be fighting a bullish cow for dominance. Testing is just one clue. Its important also to observe for heat behaviors to get the whole picture. Heavy as he is he could have had a sore foot for 2 months and fell behind schedule.

 

[highgrit]

At this point if he test good why not keep him? Then once the cows calve pay attention to what's going on. I'm sure DB is going to keep a better eye on the cows this round. This is just another learning experience, and could of been really bad and costly if the cows were still open.

 

[chippie]

I have a hard time reading everything on a phone.
Did you get your cows checked to make sure that they are pregnant?
If all of your cows are pregnant, and at about the same length in gestation, I think that LauraleesFarm's reply makes the most sense.
If they are all pregnant, and you do want a new bull, you can take your time finding one that suits your needs.

If your cows are open, then test him and take it from there. I don't see any reason to test him if your cows are pregnant.

 

[Dega Moo]

we shouldve had 8 by now and even at that we would have been behind. so i got the vet to look and theyre bred just late..so it either a std letting em slip or time for a new bull..

guess i gotta get the vet to see if i can get the bull tested....

should be on track for 20 calves a yr..not gonna happen at this rate..dangit...really makin it tough to pay the bills..

any thoughts on this ove overlooked. bull is 6 yrs old..being theyre bred hes working but maybe hes just getting lazy..or 20 cows/heifers too much for the old boy

DB - I'm trying to understand what you mean by 'they're bred just late'. When did you put this bull in with the cows and when did they last calve? Did your vet palp all of your cows or just the 8? If he palp'd them did he call the trimester?

Unless I just didn't want my bull, I wouldn't sell him until I know he's actually guilty of something.

 

[Nesikep]

I do find bulls get complacent when they're with the same herd all the time, and perhaps especially so if they're always with the cows. That being said, perhaps a sore penis could have kept him from working for a while.

One of my best bulls was a 'one timer', he'd woo the cow for a bit, get the job done, and walk off immediately after, and his breeding rates were great, he also kept condition nicely since he went back to eating. He was an emergency replacement for a SH bull that had a bent penis, and I noticed the cows were coming back into heat (I noticed this after 1 month, so it wasn't disastrous).

 

[bigbull338]

you dont need to keep a bull past 3 breeding seasons.because by that time he is 5 or 6yrs old.and most people keep their own home bred heifers.

 

[dieselbeef]

i didnt tho i probly will start. i kept him and sold off my comm hiefers and bought reg beefmasters. im only a few cows short

 

[greybeard]

you dont need to keep a bull past 3 breeding seasons.because by that time he is 5 or 6yrs old.and most people keep their own home bred heifers.

Most of the time, 3 generations from same bull is the limit for me when it comes to keeping anything, and I don't even like to keep them after that to sell calves. (not a registered herd)
Good luck with this DB--always something to figure out with cattle------------are we havin fun yet??

 

[Nesikep]

I usually keep my bulls about 5 seasons, I usually don't keep the linebred heifers (2 exceptions to that), so it doesn't really matter to me, I've never had a problem with a bull because of age. The two exceptions mentioned above are both excellent animals, and the 3/4 blood steers don't seem to suffer from it either.

I think if you find a bull that works really well for your herd, why not keep him longer? This is what makes small herds so much harder to manage

 

[dieselbeef]

well its sure working me

yeah we're having fun kids..just aint making any money...at the highest end of the mrkts ever..figures

we have a good supplier for reg bfmstr heifers so we kept the bull and sold off the comm units in order to get to a purebred herd...not reg..but purebred..we only have a few comm cows left and the bull was reg so it all was coming together good.

and then.................the fun started...

 

[Nesikep]

I can only imagine.. but look at it this way, being that late, you'll be selling the calves in the spingtime, when prices are usually better than the fall... I know it's a PITA to say the least, but the cows will eventually catch up to spring calving

 

[dun]

It builds character!

 

[chippie]

It could be worse. All of the cows could be open.

 

[dieselbeef]

oh yeah..yer right bout that