What age is a bull ready to be a bull

[fishermanswoman]

This is a silly question but I was wondering if there is an age to when a bull actually is doing what he's supposed to be doing?
I watched this old dairy cow{female} mounting another {Female} as the bull stood by and watched..It was a little weird but I didn't have time to stand by and see if he cut in on that dance or not but we have only had him since august of 2005 and so far we are not totally sure who is pregnant and who isn't or if any of them are..He is the only bull among 13 females but just wondering if there is a certain age because he is really not that old...Thanks

 

[Cuz-Pat]

A yearling bull at 13 to 17 months old should be able to handle 10 or 12 cows. I would not want to put him on any more than that to start with. Just my 2 cents worth!

 

[backhoeboogie]

This is another "depends" question. It depends on the breed, condition, and other factors.

My Brangus bull bred a cow at 14 months. The cow took, calved in May, then four months later all the other cows dropped calves within 20 days, right on their cycles. Hence, before he was 18 months, he bred the whole lot and didn't miss anything.

 

[Frankie]

This is a silly question but I was wondering if there is an age to when a bull actually is doing what he's supposed to be doing?
I watched this old dairy cow{female} mounting another {Female} as the bull stood by and watched..It was a little weird but I didn't have time to stand by and see if he cut in on that dance or not but we have only had him since august of 2005 and so far we are not totally sure who is pregnant and who isn't or if any of them are..He is the only bull among 13 females but just wondering if there is a certain age because he is really not that old...Thanks

It depends on the bull, breed, condition, management, etc. The Angus Assn recommends you wait until a bull is at least one year old before you fertility test them. We have very few bulls that won't pass a Breeding Soundness Exam at 12-14 months old.

Our longhorn gomer bull will stand by and watch cows mount other cows. He apparently waits until the cow is actually standing, "breeds" her a couple of times, and then pretty much ignores her. He's saving his energy, I guess. He has on a chinball marker so when he does mount the cow, he leaves yellow paint on her back; otherwise, it would be difficult to know that he's really working.

Some bulls seem to do most of their breeding at night. Depending on how much time you spend with the cows, just because you don't see the bull mount doesn't mean he isn't.

 

[endebt]

We sell angus bulls at 1 year old. We have had all of them tested and all check good and hot. We have not had any complaints and lots of favorable comments. f w i w