Size of Bull pen?

Help Support CattleToday:

We've kept bulls in a variety of different sized pens - the smallest I can think of is probably 20' wide by 30' long (1 bull, 2 steers), the largest was about 60 acres(I honestly don't remember how many bulls at one time), and the current bull pen is roughly 70' long by about 40' wide and, although it currently houses 2, it has housed up to 10 or 12 of varying ages.
 
aplusmnt":28t40gfq said:
How big of a pen would be needed to keep one bull in for a few months when you did not want him with the cows?

Aplus why don't you ask the PB breeders as that is their specialty of keeping bulls.They will be able to tell you about structures and how many per pen.
 
hillsdown":1y4p7c64 said:
aplusmnt":1y4p7c64 said:
How big of a pen would be needed to keep one bull in for a few months when you did not want him with the cows?

Aplus why don't you ask the PB breeders as that is their specialty of keeping bulls.They will be able to tell you about structures and how many per pen.

How stupid of me.....I completely forgot that only PB breeders know anything about bulls. :lol: :lol: :lol: Does being a PB breeder since the late 70's count in your book, hillsdown? I know that isn't all that long, but that's how long we've been raising purebred, registered Murray Greys.
 
msscamp":12txdp6d said:
hillsdown":12txdp6d said:
aplusmnt":12txdp6d said:
How big of a pen would be needed to keep one bull in for a few months when you did not want him with the cows?

Aplus why don't you ask the PB breeders as that is their specialty of keeping bulls.They will be able to tell you about structures and how many per pen.

How stupid of me.....I completely forgot that only PB breeders know anything about bulls. :lol: :lol: :lol: Does being a PB breeder since the late 70's count in your book, hillsdown? I know that isn't all that long, but that's how long we've been raising purebred, registered Murray Greys.

Exactly that is why it should be posted on the breeders forum.Not all PB breeders like you read the beginners forum.So to help Aplus breeders that keep 20-50 bulls at a time would probably be best to give alot of info.Also I thought you said you didn't have animals anymore.Sorry if I was mistaken.
 
hillsdown":1gc32pza said:
msscamp":1gc32pza said:
hillsdown":1gc32pza said:
aplusmnt":1gc32pza said:
How big of a pen would be needed to keep one bull in for a few months when you did not want him with the cows?

Aplus why don't you ask the PB breeders as that is their specialty of keeping bulls.They will be able to tell you about structures and how many per pen.

How stupid of me.....I completely forgot that only PB breeders know anything about bulls. :lol: :lol: :lol: Does being a PB breeder since the late 70's count in your book, hillsdown? I know that isn't all that long, but that's how long we've been raising purebred, registered Murray Greys.

Exactly that is why it should be posted on the breeders forum.Not all PB breeders like you read the beginners forum.So to help Aplus breeders that keep 20-50 bulls at a time would probably be best to give alot of info.Also I thought you said you didn't have animals anymore.Sorry if I was mistaken.

Whatever! :roll:
 
hillsdown":26ggfgyg said:
msscamp":26ggfgyg said:
hillsdown":26ggfgyg said:
aplusmnt":26ggfgyg said:
How big of a pen would be needed to keep one bull in for a few months when you did not want him with the cows?

Aplus why don't you ask the PB breeders as that is their specialty of keeping bulls.They will be able to tell you about structures and how many per pen.

How stupid of me.....I completely forgot that only PB breeders know anything about bulls. :lol: :lol: :lol: Does being a PB breeder since the late 70's count in your book, hillsdown? I know that isn't all that long, but that's how long we've been raising purebred, registered Murray Greys.

Exactly that is why it should be posted on the breeders forum.Not all PB breeders like you read the beginners forum.So to help Aplus breeders that keep 20-50 bulls at a time would probably be best to give alot of info.Also I thought you said you didn't have animals anymore.Sorry if I was mistaken.

I figured it was a pretty beginner question. thought this was the place for them type of questions. A place were people help beginners not were beginners all chat with each other.
 
Sorry Aplus :oops: Last year I kept 6 bulls through the winter but they had an eight acre area.I had the space so that is what they got.I have seen 3-4 bulls housed all winter in a 1/8 acre area and they do fine.I personally think that is too small and is more clean up to do.You will get responses from breeders that know what has worked for them and hopefully you can choose the best situation that is right for you.
All the best HD.
 
I think the size of a bull pen depends on how much room your relieve pitchers need to warm up.


Sorry I could pass that one up.
 
Dave":qht62ayo said:
I think the size of a bull pen depends on how much room your relieve pitchers need to warm up.


Sorry I could pass that one up.

Dang Dave, how tall are those cows you're raising?!?! :shock: Maybe you need to provide your bulls with a mini trampoline?
 
The size of your pen is dependant on weather you are going to feed them or graze them. If you are going to graze them, 1 to 5 acres depending on your grass. If you plan on feeding them 30 by 30 would give room for a little exercise. The smaller it is the dirtier it gets. Just make sure it has good drainage. Hoof rot can become a problem is small areas that are constantly muddy.
 
right on you are nova.. I have a pen that we keep the calves and bulls in but not for long because of that very problem. no grass. We do have most of it covered with a gravel or chat substance to keep the drainage good. It stays fairly dry in wet weather.
 
aplusmnt":33scbjrc said:
How big of a pen would be needed to keep one bull in for a few months when you did not want him with the cows?

Couple of acres is big enough and you had better have one stout fence and it hotter than the hinges on the doors to hades.
If he ever learns he can get out you will have nothing but problems. He is going to try to get out too, one bull is hard to hold you are better off trying to hold two or three.
 
I keep my bull in a 10 acre pasture. he stays with one cow for company. The fence is 5' high, and 6 barb wires.
 
Well...the only bulls we keep by themselves in pens would be weaned ones up until 14 months breeding age. Hopefully, all of these bull calves and yearling breeders will be sold every year, one way or another, including one we put in freezer each year.

As far as our Herd Sires are concerned, they have their own pasture and each has their own females for breeding at any given season. A bull and their harem will periodically be moved to a vacant pasture for grazing rotation. If their own females are to be bred back to same bull, they stay with that bull. Females are rotated as needed to a given bull a couple of weeks or so or more after calving.

Our bulls always have females with them, 24/7/365. They have no reason to "search for new females". Bulls and their females are always separated by an alleyway or a vacant pasture from other bulls and their females.

A lonely bull is a wreck waiting to happen... ;-)
 
For the winter we keep our bulls on about 2 acres of pasture. They are fenced in by 3 strands of barbed wire, and at the very least a road and another 3 wire fence between them and any cows. We rarely have any problems. We ran 7 bulls there this year. If we have a problem bull we will "educate" him by himself in a small pen that is electrified. They do have long memories.

After breeding season and until we have to feed cows they will run on anywhere from 60 acres to 320 acres. Depends on where the cows are at.

Whatever you do he needs a companion. If you get a fence crawler/wrecker and you have tried electric the only thing you can do is transport him to the nearest sale yards.
 
Size pen when you don't want the bull in with the cows? Let's see...about 3 feet tall, 3 feet wide and 18 inches deep...yeah, I think that's about the size of the freezer. :lol:
 

Latest posts

Top