What kind of bull do I have?

Help Support CattleToday:

A

Anonymous

I bought this baby bull at the auction ring this past summer. I'm sure he is not pure bred. Does anyone have an idea of what kind it is or how good he is for a mixed breed small herd. You can see 4 pictures at the site below. Thanks <A HREF="http://www.geocities.com/jackdeerhunter44/brownbull.html" TARGET="_blank">http://www.geocities.com/jackdeerhunter44/brownbull.html</A>

[email protected]
 
The beef version of Milking Brown Swiss is Braunvieh. That get very large. If you don't know anything about him, why would you breed him to anything?

dun

> Thanks. Are they good to breed to
> cross bred beef cows. Do you know
> how big he will get.
 
He doesn't look like anything i'ld use, but that's as just an opinion.

don't use him if you're not sure what he is and what he's going to give you.

Why did you buy him?

[email protected]
 
Personally, Since my bull is 50% of my breeding program I would try and find a really good bull (registered if posible) and maybe breed to some cow's I dont know much about if you're going to go that route. If you have many cow's at all, I would not breed that bull to them.
 
> Personally, Since my bull is 50%
> of my breeding program I would try
> and find a really good bull
> (registered if posible) and maybe
> breed to some cow's I dont know
> much about if you're going to go
> that route. If you have many cow's
> at all, I would not breed that
> bull to them.

Might consider letting him "jump" into your freezer!

[email protected]
 
the best way i know to put it is... your bull can be the cheapest animal you buy or the most expensive... and it is a paradox... this bull will be a very expensive bull for you because you will not get quality calves to resell... thus less return in $$$

even if you give $1500 for a good bull, he would be cheap in comparision, due to his calves bringing much more $$ each at the sale barn...

what you want, IMO, is bull power.... and even on less than desirable cows, you still have a marketable calf...

i am no expert, but imo this is the best route... but each one of us has to make up our own minds on this and do what is best in our situations... good luck.

just my 2 cents

gene

> I bought this baby bull at the
> auction ring this past summer. I'm
> sure he is not pure bred. Does
> anyone have an idea of what kind
> it is or how good he is for a
> mixed breed small herd. You can
> see 4 pictures at the site below.
> Thanks
> <A HREF="http://www.geocities.com/jackdeerhunter44/brownbull.html" TARGET="_blank">http://www.geocities.com/jackdeerhunter44/brownbull.html</A>

[email protected]
 
most commonly known as Burger Meat Bull

> I bought this baby bull at the
> auction ring this past summer. I'm
> sure he is not pure bred. Does
> anyone have an idea of what kind
> it is or how good he is for a
> mixed breed small herd. You can
> see 4 pictures at the site below.
> Thanks
> <A HREF="http://www.geocities.com/jackdeerhunter44/brownbull.html" TARGET="_blank">http://www.geocities.com/jackdeerhunter44/brownbull.html</A>

[email protected]
 
My guess would be that he might have some Longhorn in him.I know you have taken some hits on this guy. and I don't mean to add insult to injury, but this guy looks allot like a steer. In fact I couldn't see eny testicles from the rear view and that's not saying much for the guy. Hope your eyes are better than mine. I learned the hard way by breeding in what has taken a long time to breed out. Besides the net value of your calves, You will have a lot more fun seeing the improvements of a good bull.

> Might consider letting him
> "jump" into your
> freezer!
 
He could be Brown Swiss, but to me he looks like a Jersey. Could be a little of both. If he is Jersey, he won't get very big at all. How old is he? His hind quarters and muscling are pathetic. You don't want this bull for a breeding bull.

> I bought this baby bull at the
> auction ring this past summer. I'm
> sure he is not pure bred. Does
> anyone have an idea of what kind
> it is or how good he is for a
> mixed breed small herd. You can
> see 4 pictures at the site below.
> Thanks
> <A HREF="http://www.geocities.com/jackdeerhunter44/brownbull.html" TARGET="_blank">http://www.geocities.com/jackdeerhunter44/brownbull.html</A>

[email protected]
 
Most people think it is part brown swiss. I am in milk country and I tend to think that it might have the Swiss in him. Yes I am sure he is a bull. That is the first thing I checked.

[email protected]
 
He's identical to the 3 Jerseys I have out back right now - and that "pathetic" muscling that the previous poster referred to is why they are not good beef cattle. Jersey bulls won't fill out and get muscular until they're quite a bit older that this guy.

Nothing wrong with using them for cheap beef when your milk cow has a bull calf, or when you can buy them as cheap as I did ($15 per calf at 10 days of age). But it would be a waste of a beef cow's time to carry a half Jersey calf.

Ann B

> I am not sure how old he is. In
> October 2002 he weighed in at 335
> lbs. The pictures were taken Jan
> 12, 2003
 
> Most people think it is part brown
> swiss. I am in milk country and I
> tend to think that it might have
> the Swiss in him. Yes I am sure he
> is a bull. That is the first thing
> I checked.

I haven't seen a Brown Swiss since I was a kid, but he could be one. His coloration reminds me of a Braunvieh, which is the beef version of Brown Swiss, of which I am a little more familiar, but a beef animal he is not! I hope you got him for a real cheap price. I'll also agree with another poster in that he could have some strong Jersey influence.

One of my uncles buys baby Jersey bulls and grows them out on grass for a pretty long time, then gices them a little grain and turns them into cheap hamburger meat for himself and his grown kids. They look scrawny & pathetic for a good long time, then seem to finally "catch hold" and fill out pretty well. IMHO you ought to just turn this guy into hamburger at your earliest convenience.
 
Hi! I've just read the other posts to date. Put mine here on "top" of viewing list...lol

Tend to agree with other posters. Trust you didn't pay over 30 to 40 cents a pound for him. Regardless of what breed or mixed breed he might be, he does not have the confirmation generally needed for breeding stock. I wouldn't breed him to anything.

At Running Arrow Farm we raise registered Texas Longhorns. We purchase quality foundation cows and heifers (usually in the $800 to $3,000 range in our initial program phase) and would not consider a future herd sire that did not have quality genetics and present confirmation--our Longhorn Bulls (at this point in time) are on the "low end" of pricing $1,700 to $3,500 value) and we are planning to use "top 10" semen for A.I. in 2003 and 2004 for our best cows--such semen is running between about $50. and $150. per straw.

If you use quality bull (or semen) and have a verygood-better-best heifer or cow, then you can expect quality calves. It takes a long time to "breed out" unfavorable genetics--in some cases it is virtually impossible.

When in doubt with any animal--either take to sale barn or use for freezer burgers.

Best wishes, Bill
 
First, the obvious. He's not a steer if he hasn't been castrated. Second, the not so obvious. If you're using the term loosely, he can't be a steer because he is milk stock and not beef stock. Is that the right answer?

[email protected]
 
It was a rhetorical quaetion. As in, he should have been cut and or butchered long ago.

dun

> First, the obvious. He's not a
> steer if he hasn't been castrated.
> Second, the not so obvious. If
> you're using the term loosely, he
> can't be a steer because he is
> milk stock and not beef stock. Is
> that the right answer?
 

Latest posts

Top