Well it has been 3 months (pics update)

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WindyHillFarm

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Levy County Florida
Well it has been just over 3 months since I picked up these calves, some would say I am going to come up short in the long run but I got a great deal on some feed and the animals were priced right. I have learned a good bit and even had some fun in the process. We started our herd with these few calves and will being adding a few cow calves in the next few weeks as I find the animals that we are looking to bring in. These are Angus/Charlais and we will be breeding AI starting next year with Herford and using an Angus/Charlais as a cleanup bull I plan to rotate the AI every 3 years between the Angus/Charlais/Herefords.

This was the bull 3 months ago.
bull2-24-2009-1-1.jpg


This is same bull 3 months later, game him a worming while I had him in the pen.
DSCI0008.jpg


Heifer 3 months ago
cows2-24-09-1.jpg


Same Heifer
DSCI0001-4.jpg


DSCI0003.jpg


DSCI0004-2.jpg
 
Good price on feed and animals purchsed "right". Sounds like a couple of good steps in the right direction. You should do well...I'd also be looking at feed "priced right" for next year. Best Wishes. :clap:
 
they bloomed out real good.but as said cut the bull.an put him in the freezer.the heifers look real good.
 
dun":g4v1hput said:
Decent heifers, cut the bull


I plan to use him on the Heifers this year and move on I think he will produce good calving animals and his sire was much more desirable then he but we will see what happens in the next 2-3 months, I basically got him for free so it is worth a shot he has been wormed twice now so he should start to improve in the next month.

Here is another from about a month ago

Bull3-19-2009-1.jpg
 
WindyHillFarm":wu6g5fe0 said:
I plan to use him on the Heifers this year and move on I think he will produce good calving animals and his sire was much more desirable then he but we will see what happens in the next 2-3 months, I basically got him for free so it is worth a shot he has been wormed twice now so he should start to improve in the next month.

Feed and deworming will not improve his structure or bone. If his sire was better looking and produced your calf, you really need to cut your calf. Apparently his sire does not reproduce himself or better the offspring.

Even if you are producing terminal stock, you want a frame that can carry the muscle. A light boned animal will not bring top dollar and hoping that your bull will produce a throwback to the more desirable sire is risky.

There are factors that make a bull or cow more profitable as a producer of better beef. Learning to judge cattle will make you a better cattleman.

There is literature available online to help you learn how to judge cattle. Good conformation and muscling pay off in the long run. Our children participate in livestock and horse judging contests. Because of what they have learned, they can see a diamond in the rough. When judging cattle you look for Structural correctness, which includes balance from front to rear, smooth shoulders, levelness of topline and square feet and leg placement and movement.

Good capacity in the rib area and depth in the chest floor for feed intake.

For breeding animals, special attention is given to the best combination of size, conformation, structural correctness, volume, breed and sex character (example: females must exhibit correct udder development and attachment for their age).

http://animalscience.tamu.edu/images/pd ... cattle.pdf

The Angus Association has a page about judging which has a heifer and a bull class which explains how the animals are placed. When you look at the bull class, notice how long the muscling is from the pin bone to the hocks. Lots of round steaks there ;-)

http://www.angus.org/pub/judging.pdf

Good luck.
 
chippie":2qyz9oak said:
WindyHillFarm":2qyz9oak said:
I plan to use him on the Heifers this year and move on I think he will produce good calving animals and his sire was much more desirable then he but we will see what happens in the next 2-3 months, I basically got him for free so it is worth a shot he has been wormed twice now so he should start to improve in the next month.

Feed and deworming will not improve his structure or bone. If his sire was better looking and produced your calf, you really need to cut your calf. Apparently his sire does not reproduce himself or better the offspring.

Even if you are producing terminal stock, you want a frame that can carry the muscle. A light boned animal will not bring top dollar and hoping that your bull will produce a throwback to the more desirable sire is risky.

There are factors that make a bull or cow more profitable as a producer of better beef. Learning to judge cattle will make you a better cattleman.

There is literature available online to help you learn how to judge cattle. Good conformation and muscling pay off in the long run. Our children participate in livestock and horse judging contests. Because of what they have learned, they can see a diamond in the rough. When judging cattle you look for Structural correctness, which includes balance from front to rear, smooth shoulders, levelness of topline and square feet and leg placement and movement.

Good capacity in the rib area and depth in the chest floor for feed intake.

For breeding animals, special attention is given to the best combination of size, conformation, structural correctness, volume, breed and sex character (example: females must exhibit correct udder development and attachment for their age).

http://animalscience.tamu.edu/images/pd ... cattle.pdf

The Angus Association has a page about judging which has a heifer and a bull class which explains how the animals are placed. When you look at the bull class, notice how long the muscling is from the pin bone to the hocks. Lots of round steaks there ;-)

http://www.angus.org/pub/judging.pdf

Good luck.


Thanks for the info very good information. I am newly back into the field after about 10 years. Of course I want to improve my herd with every breeding and since this one is already done mabye I am hoping for the best. The bull was out in a pasture with more animals than the property could handle with no grass, hay or feed, he was extremely parisidic. Not sure if it is possible that he is under developed do to a lack of nutrients and yet carries the genes that are more desirable but we should find out when the calves hit the ground. I do have some investment into him so at this point will see how he progresses over the next 2-3 months and off to the sale if there is not major improvments as I am not going to feed him this winter, afterall he has come a long way even if it not be what would considered in a herd bull, and does not cost me anything at this point since I have more pasture than I am using with my current herd count. The heifers were almost as bad condition so that part might be luck that they are starting to come along. I started small and am going to get a better quality animals the next introduction into the herd. Part of my motivation was some tax benifits of the property needed to be met in order to keep my agriculture classification after building the house and the price was right.
Thanks again for the info.
 
Looks like a usable heifer bull to me. You've done a great job with these animals.
 
This was a great turnaround on these cows. What did you worm them with? How often? What did you feed them?
How much? Again congratulations. You made somethin' out of nothin'.
 
Congrats on a job well done, but like others suggested, let the bull go. Pictures are often poor representations of reality, but this bull appears to have very week legs and feet, particularly in his pasterns. Not only are his calves likely to be sub-par, but his productive life will be very short. His legs just won't hold him up. Start looking for a bull now. Waiting for the calves to hit the ground will put you in a rush to find a bull and you may have to settle for something you don't want.
 
wampuscat1":16bklkfy said:
This was a great turnaround on these cows. What did you worm them with? How often? What did you feed them?
How much? Again congratulations. You made somethin' out of nothin'.

Thanks, I use Ivermectin Injectable and the second worming was 4 weeks after the first I will be using epernex pour-on the next time to help with flies, I am feeding Purina Cattle Chow 12% 3-4lb per day and 3-4lb each of Alfalfa 15% protien cubes that the local feed store discounted and I was able to get 2,000 lbs for $80.00. I am not going to continue to feed this way but felt it necessary to get their condition up before the summer heat got here and let them have some consistent feed intake prior to breeding. I will soon be taking the feed away over about a 1 month period as the pasture and mineral / salt should be plenty. I also provide them with 24% protein mineral block in the pasture and will most likely continue that for a little longer.
 
dyates":3l13ou65 said:
Congrats on a job well done, but like others suggested, let the bull go. Pictures are often poor representations of reality, but this bull appears to have very week legs and feet, particularly in his pasterns. Not only are his calves likely to be sub-par, but his productive life will be very short. His legs just won't hold him up. Start looking for a bull now. Waiting for the calves to hit the ground will put you in a rush to find a bull and you may have to settle for something you don't want.


Thanks I have already started to look for another bull, this one was simply to be used for the heifers as I think he will produce smaller calves and with the condition these heifers were in I did not want to push them to hard this year. Next year they will be bred AI and I hope to have a nicer clean up bull that can take care of the ones that don't take. I am curently looking at a few prospects but temperment is big with me and this guy eats out of your hands and enjoys a good head rub. Not the best qualities in the world but I do not have to worry about him going through a fence or putting me through one. My original goal was to use him this year and move on as I can get another younger bull that will be ready next year for what I can get for him in a few months. He is not everyones long term bull but I think he will be a good first year bull.
 
Nice job in bringing the cattle around, looks like your doing a fine job, good luck.
 
VCC":2r1bbbj4 said:
Nice job in bringing the cattle around, looks like your doing a fine job, good luck.


Thanks, as said it has only been 3 months so I'll take a few more pics in a month or so and see where we are
 
How much did they gain in 3 months???What did they weigh when you bought them??? What are you feeding them???Just curious.Because I have had some calves for 3 months and ready to sell..
 
Dixieangus":3853rk7p said:
How much did they gain in 3 months???What did they weigh when you bought them??? What are you feeding them???Just curious.Because I have had some calves for 3 months and ready to sell..


They were around 400 lb - 450 lb when I got them and have gained around 3lb per day I would estimate they are currently 650lb-700lb I have fed 3-4lbs of 12% sweet feed perday and they are on pasture, I also have a 24% protien / mineral block out that they are eating like candy. They have also been getting about 3lb Alfalfa 15% protien cubes that were discounted at the local feed store to $2.00 per 50lb and I was able to get a ton for $80.00 I will not continue like this but they needed the groceries and the growing season is here so grass is in the future but I will take them off feed over the course of the next month
 

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