steers or bulls?

[chippie]

It is easier on the calf if it is banded or cut when it is very young. They do a little dance and go back to nursing momma.

Saying that, the youngest we band or cut is when the calf is several days old if both testes are there and it is a normal healthy calf. Banding them at an early age is one less problem to worry about.

Some order buyers do not buy bulls regardless of their age.

 

[highgrit]

Your a dang fool if you don't vaccinate for Blackleg. And I will not band or cut a calf if it has not been vaccinated for Tetanus. It's all to easy to just give the calf a shot of Covexin 8, or Cavalry 9. We give them their Blackleg and Tetanus shot, then cut them all at the same time. The worst thing about a bull calf is he will run you cows and bull down trying to breed one that's coming in heat.

 

[Tim/South]

I have found vaccinations pay well. Many of the calves bought here are shipped to graze in other states.
The pastuerella vaccine is available with the black leg mix now. That and a killed respiratory vaccination get the buyers bidding strong. Add weaning and castration and you have their work done for them.
This past summer there were reports of a 10% loss on cattle bought from the south east and our prices suffered.

The average cow herd here is around 20 cows. That may be one reason many here do not cut, wean or vaccinate. Especially if the births are spread out over the year. Also, many of the cattle farmers here are getting long in the tooth and do not have much help.
I am pretty much a one man show and need to squeeze every dime out of each head I can.

 

[dryfork2]

I've been banding 4-6 weeks ahead of weaning and happy with results. Few years ago figured 50+ dollars ahead probably more now with higher $$ per pound. When watching bull calves sell at auctions discounts seem to start at 400 pounds and get more with size. Everyone wants to ring the bell when selling, just depends on if willing to do extra work.

 

[NC Liz 2]

Any tips or tricks to making sure you get both nuts when banding at birth?

Take your time, have good lighting so you can see what you are doing and have at least one helper.
With maximum safety in mine, the best way to accomplish all the above is to pull your trailer in the pasture with you and put the calf in the trailer away from momma and the rest of the herd, with good lighting in the trailer.
Second best is put the calf in the back of your pickup.
Third best is put the calf in a hay ring for at least some protection.

Now let me add this.
Momma is NOT the only cow you need to worry about, the entire herd is, as they are herd animals, and any cow/bull present is a potential danger as they often will protect calves that are not their own.

And one more reason not to band at birth.
Because of the small size of the scrotum you must pull it down to get the band on, while at the same time pulling skin from the stomach also down which may leave the band to high on the collected scrotum with unneeded additional skin.
When the collected skin falls off, it will leave a hole in the skin of the stomach as the skin draws back to where it belongs, which can become a point of internal infection.
I have seen them as large as a silver dollar.

Q, Does anyone make a banding tool pacifically made for new borns?
If not why?
Please always put safety first no matter how or when you band!
Liz

 

[denvermartinfarms]

Not being smart but count to 2.

Yea that's how I learned to count :lol2:. Seriously I've never found it that hard to get one banded.

 

[B&M Farms]

I wait until the last ones are old enough to vaccinate, then implant and cut at the same time. Its easier for me and I only have to stress them one time. Nothing wrong with cutting them as soon as you can but I would implant them too to get the same growth as leaving them bulls longer.

 

[HOSS]

I think it depends on your program and how you sell them. I band as early as possible when I can. I let a few go as bulls and they performed really well. The guy that buys my heifers saw them and wants me to leave them bulls from here on and he will take them all and pay a premium over the highest sale barn price at weaning time. It seems he has a market for commercial bulls. I can't go wrong selling them as bulls.

 

[Workinonit Farm]

Not being smart but count to 2.

Yea that's how I learned to count :lol2:. Seriously I've never found it that hard to get one banded.

:nod: :nod:

Pretty much. There have been a couple of times when one nut slipped back up at the last second, not big deal, just do it over.

Katherine

 

[glacierridge]

Usually a month or two old.
Brother says they are too small for him to go after before then.
But they still get done young.

 

[alisonb]

Does anybody use an emasculator(burdizzo)? Have been using one quite successfully for years now. Early castration definitely cuts down on stress and setback factor. All bull calves are steered here - they are easier to handle, don't jump on everything that moves, less property is damaged etc - far more time for them to eat ;-)

 

[Dave]

I calf in February - March. In about mid May before I go to summer pasture I run all the calves through and vaccinate, brand and cut the bulls. I have never noticed any set back from cutting at that size. In fact often the calves get turned loose and go straight to nursing on mother. Bully looking steers are discounted here because too many people who band calves can't count to two. Bulls over 500 pounds get discounted heavily. Over 700 pounds and they sell for half price.

 

[Jessica06]

The tri-band bander is great for steers up to about 3-4 months old. No clips, all one piece. That being said, premiums here start at about $50, and can go way up from there. A $50 minimum profit from a 25 cent investment? Not rocket science. Same can be said for implants. We used to vaccinate for tetanus. First the antitoxin. Then we downgraded to Cavalry 9. Now we don't bother. After hundreds I have yet to see one case. Stress? Honestly, I don't think there's a monetary difference between banding at birth and banding at 400 pounds. If anything, you might lose a little growth by doing it too early.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Its just too darn easy to do it when they are new born. Tag 'em so you know who is who. I get them all in the pen and don't know which calf goes with who. Too many of 'em. Would rather tag them at birth and band the steers.

 

[igrowgrass]

All my calves are on the ground by my mom's birthday (April 16th). If we have any heifers born on the 16th they're always named Evelyn LOL. She's been waiting for a grand daughter named Evelyn, but me and my brother aren't too keen on that LOL. That was kind of useless information, but that just sets the time table for calving.

I would say that all my bull calves are banded by Memorial Day, which is usually when we turn the bulls back in. We bring all of our cows and heifers in before we turn the bulls in just to give everyone the quick once over. This is what we have found to be the most effective way to do it. Its usually not too hot by then. The flies aren't too bad. We don't like to handle animals more than we have to, so we try to bunch things together.

I like giving them a little time to get moving around and grow a little before we band them. I have had calves that looked like steers fresh out of the package and then 60 days later I looked at them and wished that I hadn't. You still get one that you regret every once in a while.

Bulls that don't get banded at the end of May get to go all summer swinging with what God gave them. Then in the fall I take a look at them at we'll steer whoever isn't going to be a bull. Some years we don't produce any bulls. It happens, but I tend to be a little harder on selecting for bulls than most folks. I work hard at trying to improve my animals year after year and I cull hard.

I think that you should do it fairly early, but I don't think that it has to be done at birth.

As far as watching out for momma or auntie when you're fiddling with calves that is a problem with breeding, first and foremost. None of my cows would even so much as give me stern look when I fiddle with their calves. In fact, when I go out with my bulls they will walk up along side you and you scratch their back. Then they'll do a quick 180 so you can scratch the other side. Granted, I don't have 500 head of cattle like some of you, but I think that personality and docile nature is a quality that you have to breed for.

Plus, I have boerboels and I have a mostly aussie dog. My boerboels will not let a cow anywhere near me if I sit them down next to a calf. They aren't the smartest dogs, nothing like an aussie, but they do understand protection. They will not let anything near that calf including momma. I will put my big boy Odin on my nephews when they come over (the oldest will be 6 next month) and they are as safe as the day is long with that dog with them. They ride him and sleep with him and try to feed him berries and what not, but he is the man when it comes to protecting stuff. I have not had anything killed on my place since I got these dogs. They routinely kill coons, coyotes, other dogs, cats occasionally, and they have a great fondness for groundhog meat. If you need to work with cattle, you need a good dog. There are no two ways about it.

Long story short. I never send a bull to be sold as beef unless he's older (a bull that has served his time on the farm and is past his useful days), but I never do it because I didn't steer him. If he's meant to be meat I always steer them.