Jersey Bulls
 

At what age do Jersey bull's temperaments start changing?

We have several Jersey cows and not being able to find a bull to borrow or a vet to do AI, we bought a bull last year. He is now 3 years old or so. We've bred him already and will be moving him down here from a friend's house this week. I'm wondering about when they change because thus far he has been the quietest most laid back bull I have ever seen, although we absolutely never take him for granted, take unnecessary risks or even go in with him if it can be helped, but I said the day he starts changing is the day he goes in the freezer. But I was kind of wanting to know about what age they start changing? I said as long as his temperament holds, I'll keep him, but I do watch him very carefully and I never allow the kids near him at all. We take the same precautions with him that we do with the pigs for safety's sake. I don't trust him at all. But thus far he has not given us a lick of trouble.

Any guesses on age that I need to think about getting rid of him?

I recently had to get rid of my bull because he turned on me. He was around 1 1/2 to 2 years old. Luckily all my girls are currently bred but I'm going to be in a bind this spring. I don't have a replacement. He had just hit the stage where he stopped looking like a scrawny teenager and he really looked like a bull. He had just started getting some good size on him and really filling out when he turned. Anyways, if he's 3 and still not showing any signs of aggression I would say you are good to go. That's not saying that there won't be some change in circumstances that lead him to change his behavior but at 3 he should be done growing and pretty much set in his ways.

Rookie question but can I assume that it is only the actual bulls with the bad reputation? We are considering getting some bottle Jersey calfs from a local dairy and then banding them at some point. Jersey steers for beef shouldn't be agressive, right? I have a choice between strait Jerseys or Holstein/Jersey crosses. Thought the strait Jerseys might do better for us since we are going to try almost all grass fed.

Bulls usually begin to show bad traits about the age of four go to sale barn and you see a lot of them in this age range. The dairy breeds are handled (usually) more than beef breeds and people tend to forget this and get hurt, It seems the Jersey is #1 because when small they are so lovable and people make them pets.
This past summer my halter broke gentle 4 1/2 yo bull decided over night that I did not belong in pasture (no I did not lead him he was shown by a young lady). He chased me around truck,I got him back to holding pen shipped him to sale. End of story you NEVER trust a bull.

CoachB, we have raised many Jersey steers never had a mean one, we band all our bull calves as soon as both testes drop this is usually first few days after birth. Less stress than cutting at a later age but the steer seems to gain slower than a bull calf of the same age and breed. And to us we feel the safety for all is well worth it.

Thank you! I figured that was the case but wanted to make sure as we are newbies to cows and will be getting three or four in the spring.

I would buy a bull calf right now, keep the bull long enough that you believe that the bull calf will make it, and then ship the bull. That way you eliminate the potential problem and have a ready made replacement. If your cows are close to calving keep the bull long enough to rebreed and then ship.

CoachB, do you know if the dairy will be selling more? Trying to find one for spring, hopefully will succeed with it this time. Lost last one to freak accident, if it happens again, neighbor will be buying me a full sized steer!

6e, also make sure you have a very strong fence, sometimes keeping the kids out isn't enough. A mad bull can go right through most fences. I would probably do the raise and replace thing, too

thank you for the tip. He usually does not stay here. He is usually housed at another farm, but will be coming here for a couple of months or so to breed and then sent back to the other farm. There are no kids at the other farm, so that's why he is kept there. But all the same, we absolutely do not try to "make a pet out of him" nor do we trust him. We tried taking the cows down to the bull, but Sweetie, my Jersey cow wouldn't breed and started losing a lot of weight. Brought her back here and she's looking better, but thinking we need to bring the bull here instead of upsetting the girls.

I thought about the breed and replace thing, but it is so hard to find Jersey bulls of any size around here. All the bull calves sold are little bottle calves and it's so expensive to get them up to size to breed and they're such a pain in the neck in the mean time. There is only one Jersey dairy that I know about and it is close to 3 1/2 hours away.

Ever thought about using a Dexter bull?

Mine is six years old and still mild mannered. Has thrown some nice looking bull calves (steered) from the neighbors Jersey.

I have raised four bottle steers over the past few years. The Jersey steer "turned" at only 8 months old - he was evil. He was slaughtered that week. And at 2 years, one of the Milking Shorthorns charged my dad and played "hide and seek" around the chicken tractor for 30 minutes before giving up. He also ran down and stomped one of our hens to death.

I've come to believe that anything can trigger an animal at some point (for example, the MS slipped in the mud and got mad, and began snorting and pawing the ground, then charged) - never turn your back, and always carry a stick.

The other two steers were very mellow and kind.
And the two cow-raised calves (one steer, one bull) were/are mellow and very respectful of humans.

3 is as old as I would keep a Jersey bull. Have seen too much of 'em at that age and older.

Do you raise calves on the cow? If so it would be pretty easy to graft a day old onto a cow and in my experience they are much easier to raise this way.

We did this year because this heifer's teats were SO tiny I couldn't milk them and thought the calf would help stretch them out a bit for me. I probably won't do that again since that calf if wild as a march hare! LOL

We did have a Dexter bull.........for about 2 months. He was, by far and large, a bigger pain than the Jersey. The lady we got him from told us how sweet he was, and he was ok to work with, but a tad testy and then on top of it, he got out constantly. He would jump every fence and end up in the neighbors pasture after jumping their fence and would hang out with their steers. LOL I kept asking him if he realized they were all steers and not cows. He was clearing 6' fences. Should have entered him as a jumping bull. I don't know how these ranchers keep those HUGE Angus bulls behind 4' barb wire fences with cows right across the road.

I may go with a Dexter bull again someday, but for right now, we're sort of stuck.

I guess even within the breeds their are variations. Mine has never given me a lick of trouble.

My bull would have been four in Jan. and he went to the freezer in november. He started getting a bit testy, so I made the choice of him and not me. I have decided to breed to a beef bull next year as I don`t need extra heifers. So just be very careful, and never turn your back. > Thanks Marc

6e, it is possible that you won't have any warning.

He might be perfectly fine up until the second that you find yourself on the ground with broken ribs and a horn through your gut. Jersey bulls have the reputation of being the most dangerous and they have a history of being the bull that has killed the most farmers.

Be very careful around him.

You can't find frozen semen? Vets don't normally do AI on cattle. The frozen semen company will have an AI tech and that is who does the AI for you. It's pretty cheap. Much less than the cost of feeding a bull all year.

For those that use your bull for the freezer, is there a taste difference in the meat? I have a 7 month old Jersey bull right now that will go to the freezer in about a year. I'm debating on having a vet castrate him or not first.

in my experience the dairy bulls have a far worse temperment in general than beef breeds.we had a holstein that was the devil in the flesh lol.if he caught you anywhere in the pasture he would charge regardless if he was on the other side of the field,needless to say he didnt stay around long

I do not know anyone around here that does that and I've looked. The vet will, but not for less than 10 cows. There is an AI school that teaches you how to do it, and I've seriously thought about it, but I don't have the equipment to lock a cow in TO AI her, plus we have a geriatric cow and from what I read, they do better with live cover.

I'm curious....do the mini Jersey bulls have the bad reputation of the full size bulls? I would LOVE to find a mini Jersey bull and bring the size of my cows down.

6e, a bull is a bull, don`t matter what he is, they CAN get mean. Do you have a neighbor that has a beef bull near by, when she is in heat just take her for a walk to the neighbors. ( better ask first ) I am not fond of the mini cattle for milking, I don`t like getting any closer to the ground than I have to, to milk. > Thanks Marc

No, we've already been that route. The ranchers aren't going to risk their $4,000 beef bulls and frankly, I highly doubt my little Jersey's could hold up those ton+ bulls they have around here.

Thank you so much all of you for your input. We're revisiting the AI thing, but it would cost a lot of money for all the equipment to get started, so it'll take some thought. We are extremely cautious with the bull and are by no means stupid. Seems we're sort of stuck though with him at the moment.

It's interesting, the man rancher 7 miles from us, he has 5 BIG Angus bulls and the way he moves them from pasture to pasture is he puts a halter on them and walks them. He's walk those mammoth bulls down the road and in town to wherever he wants them. If they didn't get so big, and if I didn't want the calves to be pure Jersey, I might consider a beef bull, but as it is, I want the calves dairy.

I'll keep you posted on how he does. Whether he stays a bull or ends up hamburger.

Oh and Marc, I love your website. :-) On the mini's, I don't know that short bothers me all that much. We'll see. Maybe someday. :-)

Just as Jersey bulls are at the top of the list for mean bulls, so the Dexter is at the other end of the list.

There are exceptions to every rule, and some people have successfully raised a Jersey bull without any problem. Some people have also found themselves with a Dexter bull that misbehaved. Reputations are born from the majority, so your chance of getting a well behaved bull are much better if you chooses a breed with a reputation for gentleness.

I believe that the meanness inherent in a Jersey bull is sex related, and that the same gene exists in the cows, but isn;t expressed. Therefore, the calves from a Jersey bull and a Jersey cow will all inherit the genes from both parents. However, a cross between a Jersey and another breed will only give the calf one of the Jersey mean genes, and the first generation calves will not express the Jersey meanness.

That's a good reason for crossing your Jersey cow with another breed, especially one with a reputation for gentleness.

If you're more interested in raising a beef calf that another milk calf, it makes sense to cross with a good beef producing breed. The quality and yield of beef is what makes a beef breed what it is. No dairy breed can match it.

Using a Dexter bull gives you a big advantage in calf size. Most Dexter calves are much smaller at birth, so your cow will have an easier time. My Dexter calves range from 23 to 54 pounds. Only two have been over 35 pounds.

Here's an 8 month old Dexter/Jersey steer, grass fed.

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/j...Bobalew472.jpg

A plus would be that a Dexter, Jersey heifer would become a pretty good milk cow in her own right.

Or at least that is what I hope come the end of April.

I bought a Dexter bull a few years ago to cross to my Jerseys. He was to good of a deal to pass on, my plan was to let him breed my girls and put him in the freezer, but 3 seasons later. I still have him. He is a awesome bull to be around! He always moves away from me. I can reach out and touch him, but I do not make a point of him being a pet. He is a bull and gets respect for that.

I have a waiting list for Jersey X Dexter heifers! I am getting $500 each for them at weaning age. I sold everything and I still have 3 people on a wait list.

I was AI'ing and still can easy enough, the AI tech lives about a mile down the road. I always have had great luck with AI. But a bull is even easier! I personally would never take a risk with a Jersey bull. I have young children, and a small business I do not want to have the risk of a high risk bull.

I would love to have another Dexter bull. We had one. Bought the most beautiful polled red Dexter bull to use on our Jersey cows. But he was such a PAIN!! He was a little moody, would not stay behind any fence you put him behind. Even with other cows, he was determined to get in with the neighbors steers. I still regret selling him, but he would jump panels, barb wire, hot wire, and on and on. Those steers would get across the road and start mooing at him and he'd start getting restless and pacing that fence and then boom, over he'd go. No matter how high the fence or how well grounded the electric fence. He was a real pain in the neck.

I wish I could find one with a bit more laid back temperament!

I have some jersey bull calves, the oldest is almost 2 months now. He is the sweetest thing you ever did see! I know he is young but he follows me around like im his momma. Everyone tells me I need to start watching him closer as I am a small framed woman and he could catch me off guard one day. I dont want to cut him because I want to breed him, but I will be cutting the other ones. What about crossing him with a hereford? What I found so far seems to be pretty good, nice color, size, temperament, etc. Anyone with any experience in the jersey hereford cross?

Christyernst, all I know is that when you cross Jersey with Hereford you get a brindle calf. But I'm guessing the calf, if a heifer, would grow up to be a good dual-purpose cow. But that's as much as I can tell you.

This is a future bull not a PET, this is why people get hurt or killed, a jersey bull can start acting like a breeder at 4-6 months. I get scared whenever I see a post with cutest, sweetest and other words that reference a "PET". Please be very careful.

We had a bottle baby Jersey bull calf years ago that we fed up to slaughter. We castrated him, but he still had problems. He wouldn't attack you per se, but he'd try to mount anyone that came in his pen, so you had to go in there with a large stick to keep him back. Needless to say he went to slaughter early. You have to watch the overly friendly bottle babies as they're the ones that have no respect for people.

Our Jersey bull that we have now was a bottle baby, but was not really treated as a pet and in fact, they messed with him very little and he was kept with other cows, so he learned cow manners. Now he keeps his distance, but we don't trust him an inch. We is kept at another farm with better fences when we don't need him and is brought when we need him. The day he starts acting the least bit "different" is the day he goes in the freezer. So far he is 3 years old. We just take it one day at a time and in the mean time are looking for a replacement bull to take his place. As long as his temperament holds, we'll keep him, but I do watch him very carefully as far as how he acts.

Have 4 bulls in the bull pen now left from last years crop- 1 full Jersey, 2 Jersey/Holstien crosses, and 1 Milking Shorthorn / Jersey cross, all around 600 plus pounds. Raised 20-some Jersey bottle bulls this past year, sold most as yearling bulls to family cow owners who did not or could not use AI services. We butchered 2, used another to breed one of my cows, castrated and sold 5 others as young steers. Zero issues. Raising more this year. I take care of them from bottle to trailer or freezer. BUT any large animal can be dangerous, even bulls. If you have any doubts about keeping bulls, best advice is DON'T.

Boys are mean!!! lol!!!

Kept 1 jersey as a bull, near a yr old now, very tame, loves to have his ears scratched. Have 15 other jersey steers, band when there 2 mths old, all very qiuet, range in age from 4 mth to 1yr. All were bottled raised and used to being handled. I like the looks of the Jerseys over the hoilesteins so phasing out the holisteins.

I am very careful with them all. I am just a bit melodramatic and like looking at cute little babies!! I understand completely how serious it is and how to stay safe. Thanks for the concern though.

I agree. Our society is too far removed from agricultural issues now to understand it's complexities. All they have for comparison on animal issues is experience with lap dogs and kitty cats. The absolute last breed most experienced ox teamsters will advise working with are Jersies, and these are steers we're talking about. People see those puppy dog eyes in a calf, and lose all sense of caution.

beef
 

how is is flavor of a 2 yr old bull for meat?

Flavor all depends on what you feed him. You'll get a stronger taste if he's been on straight grass, and a more milder taste if he's been on grain plus grass and/or hay.

I have owned 3 bulls in the last 10 years. The first was an angus: he was dam raised, docile after he figured out that I wasn't a boogey woman. He was terrified of me, not sure if it was the long hair or what. The second was a guernsey: he was bottle raised then we bought him. He was fine until about 16 months old. We kept him in his own pasture and didn't go in without a big stick. He got into the yard one day and moved a half full 500 gallon propane tank. That bought him a trip to the butcher. The third was a jersey, dam raised. He was approachable but after he hit 18 months he was a bit intimidating. Used him to bred the cows, put him on some grain and put him in the freezer at 24 months.

The guernsey was by far worse and my guess was because the guy that we bought him from bottle raised him and there were no other cows around for him to socialize with until we brought him home. We currently have a steer out of him that was dam raised and his is very moody also. Lots of bellowing and posturing. His 2 year mark is coming in June and I am sure he will taste just fine.