yearling bull pics

[ALACOWMAN]

The question was RELIABLY judge a bull's POTENTIAL. After daughters have had several calves, the potential aspect should be long over

exactly

 

[Alan]

The question was RELIABLY judge a bull's POTENTIAL. After daughters have had several calves, the potential aspect should be long over

Thank you, that was the question asked.

Alan

 

[KMacGinley]

I guess that is right. I was agreeing with the answer to "When can you tell if a bull is really worth a darn?

 

[WichitaLineMan]

I got pastures full of potential. As do others. What the industry needs is more "sure things".

 

[WichitaLineMan]

Heck fire girls, if the question is "when can you tell he MIGHT be good (potential)" then you ought to see some things you like by a month old.

 

[LFF]

I got pastures full of potential. As do others. What the industry needs is more "sure things".

I would like to see some pictures of your field full of potentials.

Thanks,

 

[WichitaLineMan]

Do a search. I haven't taken any pics in a while.

 

[WichitaLineMan]

Here are some pics from this spring:

All from this spring.

 

[WichitaLineMan]

You're welcome.

 

[KNERSIE]

OK, back to the potential question...

What I said was that at two months the bull looks pretty much what he will look like at two years. Read into it what you like, but the crux of the matter is that what he doesn't show at two months he simply hasn't got because at two months old his dam's milk should have met his every nutritional need and he should show the same bloom as a brought out two year old. Or his dam's milking ability is preventng him from showing it. Either of these two reasons would make him a cull. I've seen many ordinary calves being fed into great looking bulls, but I've never seen an ordinary calf fed into a great producing bull.

Obviously you can't make your final decision on whether he is a keeper or not at two months, but you can pretty much tell if he is bull material or not.

 

[3waycross]

OK, back to the potential question...

What I said was that at two months the bull looks pretty much what he will look like at two years. Read into it what you like, but the crux of the matter is that what he doesn't show at two months he simply hasn't got because at two months old his dam's milk should have met his every nutritional need and he should show the same bloom as a brought out two year old. Or his dam's milking ability is preventng him from showing it. Either of these two reasons would make him a cull. I've seen many ordinary calves being fed into great looking bulls, but I've never seen an ordinary calf fed into a great producing bull.

Obviously you can't make your final decision on whether he is a keeper or not at two months, but you can pretty much tell if he is bull material or not.

Well stated. I have known this rule for a long time but never heard it put quite that way. Thanks for the clarity

 

[ALACOWMAN]

Here are some pics from this spring:

All from this spring.

they look good,, where did you buy them. or who bred em??

 

[Hereford76]

OK, back to the potential question...

What I said was that at two months the bull looks pretty much what he will look like at two years. Read into it what you like, but the crux of the matter is that what he doesn't show at two months he simply hasn't got because at two months old his dam's milk should have met his every nutritional need and he should show the same bloom as a brought out two year old. Or his dam's milking ability is preventng him from showing it. Either of these two reasons would make him a cull. I've seen many ordinary calves being fed into great looking bulls, but I've never seen an ordinary calf fed into a great producing bull.

Obviously you can't make your final decision on whether he is a keeper or not at two months, but you can pretty much tell if he is bull material or not.

so was he bull material at 5 months because he didn't seem to be showing much bloom in that picture. i apologize if i'm coming off bad... just my initial thoughts after seeing the two different pictures of the bull and then reading your rule of thumb. seems like i've seen a few bull calves around weaning age you have posted that showed a lot more of their mother's milking ability.

raining here - 3/4 inch so far.

 

[WichitaLineMan]

they look good,, where did you buy them. or who bred em??

I bred all the calves pictured and all the young cows with calves. There are a couple of older cows in the pics that were bought from a couple of different sources.

If it has my C brand on it, I bred it. Of course the calves had not been branded in the pictures.

 

[WichitaLineMan]

In fact all of those calves pictured are sons or daughters of the bull pictured.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

i figured they were..

 

[KNERSIE]

OK, back to the potential question...

What I said was that at two months the bull looks pretty much what he will look like at two years. Read into it what you like, but the crux of the matter is that what he doesn't show at two months he simply hasn't got because at two months old his dam's milk should have met his every nutritional need and he should show the same bloom as a brought out two year old. Or his dam's milking ability is preventng him from showing it. Either of these two reasons would make him a cull. I've seen many ordinary calves being fed into great looking bulls, but I've never seen an ordinary calf fed into a great producing bull.

Obviously you can't make your final decision on whether he is a keeper or not at two months, but you can pretty much tell if he is bull material or not.

so was he bull material at 5 months because he didn't seem to be showing much bloom in that picture. i apologize if i'm coming off bad... just my initial thoughts after seeing the two different pictures of the bull and then reading your rule of thumb. seems like i've seen a few bull calves around weaning age you have posted that showed a lot more of their mother's milking ability.

raining here - 3/4 inch so far.

At 5 months his dam's milk alone can't provide for his nutritional needs and since we were then also in drought he didn't get much from grazing. He still weaned at 600+lbs without much to graze on and without any supplement at all, not even straw. What more do you want? I never said look at 5 months to judge his potential, I said look at 2 months.

 

[hillsdown]

I am second guessing a couple of bulls that I have kept for replacements this year, it is so hard at this stage when they are in a weird growth spurt, weened and needing to get all nutritional means themselves. One is gone for sure as he has started to toe out in the back legs.

Really nice bull Knersie, what really caught me eye was his smooth shoulders, he will add to a lot of herds around here. I am interested in seeing his calves knowing you are going to do some line breeding with him.

That is a huge scrotal measurement for 11 months ,what is the minimum accepted cm's for the breed ?

 

[KNERSIE]

I am second guessing a couple of bulls that I have kept for replacements this year, it is so hard at this stage when they are in a weird growth spurt, weened and needing to get all nutritional means themselves. One is gone for sure as he has started to toe out in the back legs.

Really nice bull Knersie, what really caught me eye was his smooth shoulders, he will add to a lot of herds around here. I am interested in seeing his calves knowing you are going to do some line breeding with him.

That is a huge scrotal measurement for 11 months ,what is the minimum accepted cm's for the breed ?

I think it varies from breed association to breed association, but in our system smaller than 30cm at 12 months is a slaughter clause bull in all official growth tests. I think the breed minimum standard for registration is 28cm at 12 months, but you really should have culled an dubious animal long before inspection if the scrotal development is so slow.