Sometimes I hate to band one

[Mountaintown Creek Ranch]

Having a registered herd with a very good pedigrees, sometimes it's extremely hard to castrate a good bull while I am holding the bander, dreaming of what could be...
BUT I am down to 7 steers...and my freezer is near empty of beef.

 

[SBMF 2015]

They make bigger banders. Beef in the freezer is great but it's like a bonus. If selling high quality high dollar bulls is what pays the bills every bull calf would get a chance to grow and see how they develop.
We band most bulls 6-800lbs. Then go through the bull pen again when they are 8-1,000lbs usually find 2or3 that just aren't growing like we think they should. They get banded.
We'll grade them one more time when they get there BSE. If they don't pass or act like complete idiots they get banded.
We aren't about to put our name on quantity over quality but most of them get a chance.

 

[Mountaintown Creek Ranch]

They make bigger banders. Beef in the freezer is great but it's like a bonus. If selling high quality high dollar bulls is what pays the bills every bull calf would get a chance to grow and see how they develop.
We band most bulls 6-800lbs. Then go through the bull pen again when they are 8-1,000lbs usually find 2or3 that just aren't growing like we think they should. They get banded.
We'll grade them one more time when they get there BSE. If they don't pass or act like complete idiots they get banded.
We aren't about to put our name on quantity over quality but most of them get a chance.

We are not into bulls, we sell registered replacement heifers and IF we happen to breed just for a bull, which we've done once, it would be for a cleanup bull. I'm already overstocked and if I did have room yes then I would keep some more of those bulls and let them get a little older before I steered them.
But the upside is these are really high quality animals and I know they're going to produce an excellent steak.

 

[Mark Reynolds]

Having a registered herd with a very good pedigrees, sometimes it's extremely hard to castrate a good bull while I am holding the bander, dreaming of what could be...
BUT I am down to 7 steers...and my freezer is near empty of beef.

View attachment 39176

Be thankful that you have that 'problem'.

 

[SBMF 2015]

We are not into bulls, we sell registered replacement heifers and IF we happen to breed just for a bull, which we've done once, it would be for a cleanup bull. I'm already overstocked and if I did have room yes then I would keep some more of those bulls and let them get a little older before I steered them.
But the upside is these are really high quality animals and I know they're going to produce an excellent steak.

Are you using sexed heifer semen then ?

 

[coachg]

Then don't ! 2 of the bulls I have used or am currently using I raised . I've had neighbors see my calves and buy my bulls straight off the cow . If you have an eye catcher I'd give him a chance . You can always band later .

 

[Travlr]

We are not into bulls, we sell registered replacement heifers

That's kinda like saying you mine for silver and if you find a gold nugget it's disappointing.

 

[coachg]

That's kinda like saying you mine for silver and if you find a gold nugget it's disappointing.

Or throw it away

 

[4hfarms]

We have in the past..... kept all of the animals natural. We have as of this last spring, started banding while young. I would now rather wait for a quality beef than to have bulls that didnt sell, we are cutting bull numbers. I have 2 2year olds that are what we are looking for. The rest go to the freezer. See what happens in the next year or two.

 

[Mountaintown Creek Ranch]

Are you using sexed heifer semen then ?

No but we are 73% heifer over last 4 yrs and that is why my steer count is getting low.

 

[Travlr]

No but we are 73% heifer over last 4 yrs and that is why my steer count is getting low.

What kind of supplements do you feed? Are they sweetened? Minerals? When do you breed? If artificial insemination, do you inseminate in the ovulating horn or the other?

 

[SBMF 2015]

No but we are 73% heifer over last 4 yrs and that is why my steer count is getting low.

That's interesting. Any explanation for that?

 

[Ouachita]

Definitely a first world problem. Suck it up, buttercup

 

[Mountaintown Creek Ranch]

What kind of supplements do you feed? Are they sweetened? Minerals? When do you breed? If artificial insemination, do you inseminate in the ovulating horn or the other?

I don't do anything that I consider out of the ordinary. Try to keep it simple. We've never bred by natural service, only Ai, so all our calves come out of the tank. As far as feed, all the girls get a little bit 14% developer mix daily just like all our cattle. The girls are all on high MAG mineral and high fat protein tub. When we shoot the girls we just get it through the cervix. My breeding season is year-round as I would like to drop two calves every month because it makes it easier for me to sell all year instead of all at once. It's a closed herd so they get vaccinated one (incl booster) time when they're calves and that's it.

 

[Mountaintown Creek Ranch]

That's interesting. Any explanation for that?

Good luck ?
Blessed ?

 

[SBMF 2015]

Good luck ?
Blessed ?

I was just curious. Our embryologist has told me that it has to do with when you breed in conjunction with ovulation. (I can't exactly remember and I'll probably get it backwards but it was like XY sperm swim faster and die quicker so if you want males you breed later with in the ovulation time frame)
Her example was that she and her husband wanted sons so they timed it out. they have three boys so maybe there's something to it.

 

[BFE]

According to my coon hunting buddies, you breed them in the morning for females, afternoon for males.

That may just work for hounds though.

 

[Warren Allison]

Good luck ?
Blessed ?

Is there a source of sexed semen from Waygu bulls available? Also, do you get many inquiries about buying a Waygu bull calf? If so, with the 73% heifer ratio you are getting with unsexed semen, you could do like @Jeanne - Simme Valley does. Just band any male calf born unless you have a bull calf pre-sold.

 

[Travlr]

As far as feed, all the girls get a little bit 14% developer mix daily. The girls are all on high MAG mineral and high fat protein tub. When we shoot the girls we just get it through the cervix. My breeding season is year-round...

Is your feed sweetened with molasses? What about the tub? Are they getting extra carbohydrates from somewhere?

 

[Mountaintown Creek Ranch]

Is there a source of sexed semen from Waygu bulls available? Also, do you get many inquiries about buying a Waygu bull calf? If so, with the 73% heifer ratio you are getting with unsexed semen, you could do like @Jeanne - Simme Valley does. Just band any male calf born unless you have a bull calf pre-sold.

We do band every bull unless we decide we want to keep them from a specific sire.
Yes there is sexed semen available but we haven't used it.
After changing from Angus to Wagyu the last 5 years was about getting heifers, and quality cows built up in house with the pedigrees that we are focused on.... turns out we needed heifers and got them. I am trying to keep 15 active cows. Heifers are not bred until they are 17 months so it took time starting with only 4 cows.