Should I steer him or keep my beefmaster a bull?

[darcelina4]

I have a bull bottle calf that I'm deciding if I should keep him a bull or steer him. He is a registered beefmaster. He is a bottle calf because his mom was bred way too young and was small at delivery. She had no milk 5 hours after delivery. He was a 94 pound calf. He had a tough start but he is doing great now. He comes from a family with great genetics and usually 60 to 70 pound calves. My question is whether to steer him or keep him a bull. I plan to sell him in a 18 months.

 

[Son of Butch]

He is a registered beefmaster.

Since the paper work for registration is all done it seems the decision has already been made to keep him a bull.
Usually = 65 lb calves 66% of the time (2 out of 3 times) and 94 lbers the rest of the time, not the best of odds.
Does he have 2 testicles?

 

[dieselbeef]

wait til hes 8 mos then decide

 

[Muddy]

Steer him.

 

[True Grit Farms]

Is there a market for a Beefmaster bull with a 94 lb birthweight? And then figuring he's from a heifer there's no telling what size calves he'll sire.

 

[cow pollinater]

Steer! the 94 pound BW wouldn't bother me but not having enough milk to raise a calf sure does even if she was bred young. Plus your chances of raising a high quality herd bull on a bottle are near zero.

 

[Son of Butch]

Is there a market for a Beefmaster bull with a 94 lb birthweight?
And then figuring he's from a heifer there's no telling what size calves he'll sire.

Craigslist!
No one knows the birth weight or momma's inability to milk or anything else.
All ya need is 2 testicles (in case they look) and 4 legs... craigslist buyers can usually spot the 3 leggers.

 

[Ky hills]

If he were mine I would make him a steer. Since he is on a bottle, I would maybe wait a little while, to band or cut, to make sure that he gets started and is over the stress of his birth. As others have already said, the 94 lbs. BW, and the heifer not milking are both strikes against him being used as a breeding animal. For me disposition is another factor. I had a Charolais bull calf that the cow didn't claim and I raised him on a bottle. I left him intact, and not only was he behind the other bulls in terms of size and quality he had no fear of people and was very aggressive by 1 year old. He was just as aggressive as dairy bulls, and I ended up selling him as a feeder anyway.

 

[MRRherefords]

I would diffidently steer him.

 

[littletom]

Tried the bottle calf to bull thing. It did not work out, was border line not safe.

 

[ez14.]

i would steer him a bottle calf has no fear of people which is not safe

 

[darcelina4]

I've raised bottle calves that were well developed yearnings as I Fed them very well and kept them healthy. I've kept two previously as bulls. All of my calves are halter broke. My guernsey bull was very easy to handle and extremely gentle. My jersey is already getting to be a turd so after he breeds my heifers in June he will be going away. I think the breed has a lot to do with their termperment when grown. I appreciate all the comments. The bull calf I was asking about is a really pretty calf but the birth weight worries me. I have a brangus calf that was 64 that I am raising as a bull. Both will be halter broke as my daughter wants to show them. She is a tough girl. Since the first of the year- she had halter trained a cow raised 700 pound Angus steer and a 700 pound shorthorn bull calf.

 

[Muddy]

Doesn't matter what breed the bull calf is, most cases they don't fear the humans or didn't respect their space.

 

[ez14.]

Doesn't matter what breed the bull calf is, most cases they don't fear the humans or didn't respect their space.

:nod: you dont want a bull around that you cant get to back off

 

[thommoos]

For the ones that don't know Beefmasters I would not steer him till 8 months, then you can see what he will be. I have had several bulls that we could walk up to and pet, scatch there ears, a quick pop across the snout breaks them of the space issue.Some beefmasters no matter what, will drop a big calf, I have one that had 3 different bulls sired, she drops a 85 plus calf. She could drop a 115 bull calf would not bother her.

Your heifer, More than likely I would imagine she was mineral deficient, big calf and no milk. Look at the pedigree and epd's (if there are any). That should answer a a lot. :2cents:

 

[midTN_Brangusman]

What's the rush? Let him grow out then make your decision. Will eat good either way

 

[wacocowboy]

What's the rush? Let him grow out then make your decision. Will eat good either way

That is my thought too. I've never seen people have luck with bottle animals as breeding animals but never know might work. Let your daughter show him might find a breeder who wants him.