please tear up this bull

[MikeC]

same bull about three months ago:

Don't take this as getting on your a$$ here but you have to keep these young bulls growing throughout their first two years at least, if you want to make breeding bulls out of them. You don't have to push them too fast, but keep them MOVING forward and gaining. NOT LOSING!

That bull has gone downhill quite a bit in the last three months.

 

[S.R.R.]

Cypress I agree with MikeC he needs more than 5 lbs. of feed to make him pop.

I was thinking about doubling it, or maybe even go to 15 lbs. Just can't seem to make up my mind about him.

15lb of feed a day? Are you not at all worried about bloat?

 

[cypressfarms]

Cypress I agree with MikeC he needs more than 5 lbs. of feed to make him pop.

I was thinking about doubling it, or maybe even go to 15 lbs. Just can't seem to make up my mind about him.

15lb of feed a day? Are you not at all worried about bloat?

No, he's been getting feed already, and is eating ryegrass at will and the best hay I have. I don't think a jump to 15 would harm him. I would do it over a couple of weeks though, and keep him eating ryegrass and hay; don't want to change the stomach content too much.

 

[MikeC]

Cypress I agree with MikeC he needs more than 5 lbs. of feed to make him pop.

I was thinking about doubling it, or maybe even go to 15 lbs. Just can't seem to make up my mind about him.

15lb of feed a day? Are you not at all worried about bloat?

They won't bloat if you ease them into it. I had calves eating 28 lbs. of grain plus hay each day for 60 days this fall. No bloat problems whatsovever. Manure stayed firm and green.

 

[S.R.R.]

Humm.. Interesting. I have always been a bit paranoid about grain after having a bull die from bloat.

 

[cypressfarms]

Humm.. Interesting. I have always been a bit paranoid about grain after having a bull die from bloat.

I'm not sure what mixture/type of grain Mike is referring to, but I'm feeding them a special feed in pellets. It's specifically designed for growing cattle. Again, it's called stocker grower and is 14% protein. Not like it's whole corn or anything close to that.

 

[MikeC]

Humm.. Interesting. I have always been a bit paranoid about grain after having a bull die from bloat.

I'm not sure what mixture/type of grain Mike is referring to, but I'm feeding them a special feed in pellets. It's specifically designed for growing cattle. Again, it's called stocker grower and is 14% protein. Not like it's whole corn or anything close to that.

You are correct Cypress. With 14% feed, it would take 14-15 lbs of feed to give him his 2 lbs of protein needed for proper growth. Plus the dry matter of course.

 

[purecountry]

It don't matter one damn bit what you feed THAT calf in his first two years. Developing breeding bulls boesn't start with FEEDING, it starts with BREEDING, and that calf doesn't have powerful genetics in him like a herdbull ought to. If he did, he'd have that length, along with a couple hundred more pounds of NATURAL flesh. Some in the form of girth, some in his thickness, some in his hind end.

Big head? What do you expect from a Brangus? I wouldn't hold it against the calf. I'd just cut his nuts because he IS NOT BREEDING MATERIAL. You are not going to improve anything cypress with an average mediocre calf. Period. This is not My Humble Opinion, this is FACT. There's better ones out there, go find one. Breed the best, cut the rest.

 

[Beefy]

the bull did look A LOT better 3 months ago. as far as his head goes, thats the photographers fault.

 

[lakading]

Cypress I agree with MikeC he needs more than 5 lbs. of feed to make him pop.

I was thinking about doubling it, or maybe even go to 15 lbs. Just can't seem to make up my mind about him.

15lb of feed a day? Are you not at all worried about bloat?

Any bull ought to be able to handle at least 1.5% of his body weight without even giving bloat a single thought.

 

[lakading]

Humm.. Interesting. I have always been a bit paranoid about grain after having a bull die from bloat.

I have about 15 head of 11 month old bulls on full feed. Corn based ration. Like the others said, we eased them into it. Haven't had any troubles to date.

 

[Beefy]

what do the directions say on the feedtag?

 

[S.R.R.]

what do the directions say on the feedtag?

Not sure who your asking? The feed I was giving my bull said to full feed. He had been on 5 lb a day for a week and the night before he died 10lb. My fault for uping it to fast I guess. I still dont get how he was fine the next morning but dead and ++ bloated by 2:00pm. He did have some apples that day but I dont see how that killed him with bloat.

 

[Beefy]

bloat doesnt take long. i had one last night that bloated all of the sudden at feeding time. i think she'd been munching on clover b/c we have alot of that coming up right now. i got her up (she was laid out) and ran her around for a long time and she finally got PO'ed and went over and started eating bermuda. i figured that was either really good or would make her worse. she was alive today. have lost several to bloat and it happens fast. dad killed one of our bulls several years ago feeding too much. almost two, but the vet saved one.

 

[cypressfarms]

It don't matter one be nice bit what you feed THAT calf in his first two years. Developing breeding bulls boesn't start with FEEDING, it starts with BREEDING, and that calf doesn't have powerful genetics in him like a herdbull ought to. If he did, he'd have that length, along with a couple hundred more pounds of NATURAL flesh. Some in the form of girth, some in his thickness, some in his hind end.

Big head? What do you expect from a Brangus? I wouldn't hold it against the calf. I'd just cut his nuts because he IS NOT BREEDING MATERIAL. You are not going to improve anything cypress with an average mediocre calf. Period. This is not My Humble Opinion, this is FACT. There's better ones out there, go find one. Breed the best, cut the rest.

Hold on there PC, I never said that he WAS going to be used as a bull. I bought him at weaning, because he looked like he had potential. A couple hundred pounds of flesh??? Come on , who you kidding, his ww was 700 lbs. That's decent for his breed. I haven't seem too many 900 lb weaning angus pluses out there, or any other breed for that matter. GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT. Re-read the post. I said he was a "project". three months ago he looked decent. Now he doesn't, part of that is my fault because I haven't fed him enough, part is his genetics.

 

[sidney411]

Sorry Cypress, I'm not impressed with the "now" pics. He looks a lot better in the "3 months ago" pics. To me his head looks too big and his rear looks too small. I don't know about growing out bulls as I've never done it but the rest of him may catch up with the right ammount of the right feed. Good luck! Post a pic of him grown out if you do decide to keep him.

 

[Kent]

My Grandpa used to tell me about the time he had 20 acres of ryegrass and crimson clover planted for his heifers to graze. He would run them on it for a half hour twice a day, then run them off. Well, the heifers broke out while he was at work and got into the clover patch. When he got home, he had 20 heifers stretched out on their sides with their eyes rolled back in their heads, all about to pop.

He didn't have time to call the vet as it takes 30 minutes for him to get there. So he took a big knife from the kitchen and a bottle of iodine. He stabbed every one of them in the side and twisted the knife to let the gas escape, then poured iodine on the wound. No stitches. Every one of them got up within ten minutes or so and all of them lived. I kid you not.

 

[cypressfarms]

Sorry Cypress, I'm not impressed with the "now" pics. He looks a lot better in the "3 months ago" pics.

I'm not impressed either. Still burning about pure country. I posted this as almost a joke. He's a project at best. If I feed him well for a little while, and he gets to where he's looking better than he did at weaning, maybe, but that's a big maybe. We all work too hard to let a bad bull ruin the whole herd. I realize that. In case no one has noticed, I like to post pic's and hear people opinions. I hate "yes" people, and like to hear criticism, especially if I'm iffy already about a bull or cow.

 

[Hill Creek Farm]

If you plan on beefing this rascal up, you better leave feed before him at all times, or you just better forget about making him into a herd bull prospect. He needs a lot of help, so falt muscled and no depth to him at all. Also, he has no flank to him. If I were you or if it was me, I would have already castrated him and put him into the feedlot or sold him. So, do what you wish, but this is my opinion. :cboy:

 

[cypressfarms]

Bull's sire

bulls moma

Still don't know why he don't look better