Young bull

[tcolvin]

I have a young not quite 6 month old bull that trying to mount a grown cow. He was born 1/21/23 so June 21st this year he will be 5 months old. The cow he is after is a little shorter than most, she is a Herford cross. She hasn't come in standing heat yet but do you think he could actually get her pregnant? I don't want 5 month old daddy. I have never had this problems that I know of with this age. Normally at 6 months I load them for the sale barn. I thinking in the future to start banding the bull calves before they are a week old. I'm looking at the bander that was mentioned on her on the last couple of days. They are expensive for a small operator. It was called a calibrated (miss spelled I know) with a band cutter on it. ($359) I have a goat bander but it may be to small. Ideas please for a good economical priced binder?

 

[EasTex]

I've had good luck with this one, banding at 3 months. Tri-Bander

https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=22f467ec-4bd8-4d5b-acc0-8c21f071795d

 

[TCRanch]

Tri-Bander is good. And yes, it's possible for your young bull to breed.

 

[farmerjan]

If you are going to do them as babies, the green "Cheerios" type bands work just fine... just make sure you get both through ... and they are cheap... both the bander and the the bands. We often do them up to a month or 2 old with that bander.. Have never used the "tri-bander" but lots of people like it.
Yes the "Calicrate " bander is expensive, and especially for a small operator.... but if you use it a dozen times, it pays for its self ..... and we use ours alot. Bands cost $4-5 a piece too... but again, we buy 4-6 wt bulls and make up groups of steers and so it is worth it to us many times over. We also use the "regular" bander with the little bands on our own very often.

 

[Travlr]

I have a young not quite 6 month old bull that trying to mount a grown cow. He was born 1/21/23 so June 21st this year he will be 5 months old. The cow he is after is a little shorter than most, she is a Herford cross. She hasn't come in standing heat yet but do you think he could actually get her pregnant? I don't want 5 month old daddy. I have never had this problems that I know of with this age. Normally at 6 months I load them for the sale barn. I thinking in the future to start banding the bull calves before they are a week old. I'm looking at the bander that was mentioned on her on the last couple of days. They are expensive for a small operator. It was called a calibrated (miss spelled I know) with a band cutter on it. ($359) I have a goat bander but it may be to small. Ideas please for a good economical priced binder?

You can get a tool to put the green cheerios on for less than $40 last time I looked..

 

[Warren Allison]

I have a young not quite 6 month old bull that trying to mount a grown cow. He was born 1/21/23 so June 21st this year he will be 5 months old. The cow he is after is a little shorter than most, she is a Herford cross. She hasn't come in standing heat yet but do you think he could actually get her pregnant? I don't want 5 month old daddy. I have never had this problems that I know of with this age. Normally at 6 months I load them for the sale barn. I thinking in the future to start banding the bull calves before they are a week old. I'm looking at the bander that was mentioned on her on the last couple of days. They are expensive for a small operator. It was called a calibrated (miss spelled I know) with a band cutter on it. ($359) I have a goat bander but it may be to small. Ideas please for a good economical priced binder?

Single edge razor blade is all you need. That is the best way to geld one at that age. Or just go ahead and take him to the sale.......prices at that age/weight are good right now.

 

[tex452]

Single edge razor blade is all you need. That is the best way to geld one at that age. Or just go ahead and take him to the sale.......prices at that age/weight are good right now.

My experience is that cutting with a blade they get over it a lot quicker than banding, the banded ones mope around for a couple of weeks, with today's prices it will bring good money with his nuts intact, let someone else do it.

 

[Warren Allison]

My experience is that cutting with a blade they get over it a lot quicker than banding, the banded ones mope around for a couple of weeks, with today's prices it will bring good money with his nuts intact, let someone else do it.

Yep. Cut off the bottom of the scrotum, drop them, pull and cut. Then spray with whatever you use..yellow spray, blue spray or red spray. And a tetanus booster wouldn't hurt. They will be over it in no time.

 

[tcolvin]

I have a young not quite 6 month old bull that trying to mount a grown cow. He was born 1/21/23 so June 21st this year he will be 5 months old. The cow he is after is a little shorter than most, she is a Herford cross. She hasn't come in standing heat yet but do you think he could actually get her pregnant? I don't want 5 month old daddy. I have never had this problems that I know of with this age. Normally at 6 months I load them for the sale barn. I thinking in the future to start banding the bull calves before they are a week old. I'm looking at the bander that was mentioned on her on the last couple of days. They are expensive for a small operator. It was called a calibrated (miss spelled I know) with a band cutter on it. ($359) I have a goat bander but it may be to small. Ideas please for a good economical priced binder?

Has any one used the California Bloodless bander? It has no mechanical parts and looks like it is very simple to use. I'm just not sure on a baby calf if their testicles are large enough? The video was doing calves about 2-3 months old. It's a little less than 40 bucks. Look at it I think on Valley Vet.

 

[elkwc]

I have used several of the branders available. And all of my vets use the California bander. The main issue is to use the proper bander for the size of calves being banded. The cheerios are for newborns. Then the tri bander and XL banders fill the gap between them and the Callicrate bander I have. Callicrate does make a bander for smaller calves.
I disagree about calves moping around that have been banded. We have used the Callicrate bander for 8 years. Have done 50 or more a year. This year did one around 1,100 lbs. They never go off feed and keep right on gaining. No laying around. Used to knife cut everything. Don't use the knife at all anymore. All the cutter bull buyers I know use bands. Less stress using bands. I have been told by vets and those banding big bulls to give a tetanus shot and never slit the bag. We have had no issues in 8?years doing it that way.

 

[Named'em Tamed'em]

I've used the calicrate for years with good results and less down time than cutting. It's easy for me on the older ones.

 

[wbvs58]

I ordered some of the California bands last week. They seem very simple and straight forward to apply. I could not justify the price of a Calicrate bander, they are almost $900 here. My plan would be to use them on 600kg yearling bulls (1320lbs). The yearling bulls I am developing to sell in September however our cattle market has had a big downturn and if it looks like there won't be much interest in them they will get a band and sold once they drop off so I don't have to put any more feed into them.

Ken

 

[ClinchValley86]

Has any one used the California Bloodless bander? It has no mechanical parts and looks like it is very simple to use. I'm just not sure on a baby calf if their testicles are large enough? The video was doing calves about 2-3 months old. It's a little less than 40 bucks. Look at it I think on Valley Vet.

I use a California bander for most. I use a little pair of vice grips to grip the band as it allows for a better pull. I band between 400 and 600 pounds usually.

I also have a tri bander and an xl. They work easily too.

All bands work better when they're warm. I put them in my pocket prior to using them if it's cold outside.

 

[Travlr]

I ordered some of the California bands last week. They seem very simple and straight forward to apply. I could not justify the price of a Calicrate bander, they are almost $900 here. My plan would be to use them on 600kg yearling bulls (1320lbs). The yearling bulls I am developing to sell in September however our cattle market has had a big downturn and if it looks like there won't be much interest in them they will get a band and sold once they drop off so I don't have to put any more feed into them.

Ken

I'm curious why you would band 1300# bulls? Aren't they going to slaughter pretty much immediately? Why band anything that big?

 

[greybeard]

I thought anything called a California bander would just involve about a gallon jug of estrogen...

 

[Ky hills]

I use an XLBander, for bigger calves. It is a larger version of the Tri Bander and less expensive than sone of the other banders, that is supposed to be usable on calves up to 700 lbs.
Be sure and use a tetanus vaccine before banding. Either 2 doses of a product like Covexin 8 or Cavalry 9 spaced a couple weeks apart with the second being given at time of banding. Or a dose of tetanus toxoid given at time of banding.

 

[tcolvin]

I thought anything called a California bander would just involve about a gallon jug of estrogen...

With a prop 65 sticker attached!

 

[A.J.]

As some of the others have said if you are going to band them at a few days old, I would recommend the green cheerios. The bands and bander are cheapest, and our calves banded at a day or two old don't skip a beat.

 

[kenny thomas]

I use an XLBander, for bigger calves. It is a larger version of the Tri Bander and less expensive than sone of the other banders, that is supposed to be usable on calves up to 700 lbs.
Be sure and use a tetanus vaccine before banding. Either 2 doses of a product like Covexin 8 or Cavalry 9 spaced a couple weeks apart with the second being given at time of banding. Or a dose of tetanus toxoid given at time of banding.

I must correct you on the tetnus toxoid. It requires a booster.
Tetnus Antitoxin can be given and works immediately but only lasts 14 days.

 

[Ky hills]

I must correct you on the tetnus toxoid. It requires a booster.
Tetnus Antitoxin can be given and works immediately but only lasts 14 days.

Thank you for the correction