So he'll be used for a bull?He still thinks he's fancy. Will wean to bull pasture. View attachment 36830View attachment 36829
Weak topline, rear legs look pretty straight, not a lot of girth, and rear muscle doesn't come down deep.Yes, if he continues to grow in the bull pasture, we'll consider him.
Some calves have funky growth curves and go through awkward stages. Do these cattle level out as they mature? i.e., does the front end catch up to the back end?He still thinks he's fancy. Will wean to bull pasture. View attachment 36830View attachment 36829
When I was a kid, I thought that conformation was just for show too, But I learned through horses early, that if you get the angles off, the animal breaks down quick. When you pick a bull for breeding, he needs to be correct in his angles as he is going to be very stressed when he starts courting the women. He will start standing guard at her side for a few days before he can actually breed her, but he is going to try and if his angles are off, say in his hips, and rear legs, he is going to get sore quicker. He is not going to be able to stay with her and if another cow is in heat, about the same time, he may not be able to breed both. If his back is not straight and sloped badly and his loin is weak, that is where his power is to rise up and stand behind the cow. This bull is going to be sore and worn out and you are going to have long gestation because he is going to miss heats.
I go nuts over the conformation on a bull, because, he must be better than any of your cows if you are going to bring your herd up. If you just throw anything out there, then you start pulling your herd down. But make sure he is the best animal in the pasture. Make sure his back is straight and make sure when he walks, that he steps in the front foot print with the back foot as he moves. That will cover a lot of problems that exist in the hip and hocks. And if he is missing muscle, his calves will suffer. That is what you get paid for as they cross the scale. So if he is missing 100 lbs off one one side of his hip, that is a lot of weight to be leaving behind. Each of his calves may be missing 100 lbs too when they cross the scale. You do not want that. Same with every body part on him. Make sure he is a nice full bodied bull.
I found this video to keep me from writing a book and there are some good points this man makes in choosing a herd bull. This is not a show bull he is speaking of. He is talking about you keeping a sound bull. And if you breed to an unsound bull, your calves will be unsound.
When I was a kid, I thought that conformation was just for show too, But I learned through horses early, that if you get the angles off, the animal breaks down quick. When you pick a bull for breeding, he needs to be correct in his angles as he is going to be very stressed when he starts courting the women. He will start standing guard at her side for a few days before he can actually breed her, but he is going to try and if his angles are off, say in his hips, and rear legs, he is going to get sore quicker. He is not going to be able to stay with her and if another cow is in heat, about the same time, he may not be able to breed both. If his back is not straight and sloped badly and his loin is weak, that is where his power is to rise up and stand behind the cow. This bull is going to be sore and worn out and you are going to have long gestation because he is going to miss heats.
I go nuts over the conformation on a bull, because, he must be better than any of your cows if you are going to bring your herd up. If you just throw anything out there, then you start pulling your herd down. But make sure he is the best animal in the pasture. Make sure his back is straight and make sure when he walks, that he steps in the front foot print with the back foot as he moves. That will cover a lot of problems that exist in the hip and hocks. And if he is missing muscle, his calves will suffer. That is what you get paid for as they cross the scale. So if he is missing 100 lbs off one one side of his hip, that is a lot of weight to be leaving behind. Each of his calves may be missing 100 lbs too when they cross the scale. You do not want that. Same with every body part on him. Make sure he is a nice full bodied bull.
I found this video to keep me from writing a book and there are some good points this man makes in choosing a herd bull. This is not a show bull he is speaking of. He is talking about you keeping a sound bull. And if you breed to an unsound bull, your calves will be unsound.