Bull Options

[pointer_hunter]

A decision is going to be needed soon as to what bull I will use this year. My options are this:

1. Use the beefmaster bull at the farm again on only my older cow and get one calf for next year.

2. Find a bull that throws smaller calves and breed my older cow and the 6-700 heifer and have two calves next year.

It would be easy to just leave the older cow at the farm for another month before moving her and let her breed to the beefmaster bull again, they throw some nice calves together. But I would like to get two calves next year. I don't want to run the risk of damage, and the others say that with a smaller bull I can breed the heifer now and she'll be decent size when she calves.

Opinions please???

[tinknal]

AI them both, at least the heifer. Heat detecting should be easy with 2 of them, or you can syncronize. It would be a waste of $500 to feed her for a year open when you could be getting a calf out of her.

[evermoor]

Aren't beefmaster known for calving ease in general. Maybe a vet could pelvic measure your heifer? Definatelly breed them both, wether it is AI or the bull. Even some of our small heifer brred to hard calving bulls did OK. Just allow for a lot of exercise and don't over feed them.

[hintonlady]

Be careful with early breeding, it tends to cause a lot of calf pulling issues. You would be safer losing a season than losing a nice cow.

Have you ever considered using artificial insemination later in the season? If you know how to recognize heat it is not too pricey to have a good rural vet come out. Storage can be a problem unless your timing is excellent (ask your vet). HOWEVER online you can buy some great top of the line bull semen (no jokes please) from bulls raised for calving ease/size, meat quality, growth rates etc. Prices range from $15 to about $100. It's a cheap way to introduce some very nice blood lines to improve your herd. Show quality or production history could never hurt in the long run.

[francismilker]

There's an old saying that says, "One bird in hand is better than two in the bush." . If I was going to breed a six hundred pound heifer, I would definetly breed her to a Jersey or an AI sire that has a proven track record of throwing jack-rabbit sized calves. I do agree that if you're going to feed one for a year she might as well be carrying a calf, I just don't feel I'd take a chance with a large beef breed on a heifer. If beefmaster is your only option at this point, I'd keep her open until she's a little bigger.

[tinknal]

What breed heifer is it? If it is a dairy breed breed her to a Gurnsey, jersey, or ayrshire. If she is beef breed to a longhorn.

[pointer_hunter]

She's close to 3/4 Beefmaster and 1/4 Sim. We have a vet that lives in the area, so I would have her checked out before breeding her just to make sure she is big enough. If the beefmaster bull was my only option, I think would leave her open as well. He hasn't thrown as big a calf as the last bull we had, but I don't think I want to risk it. I am looking around for a young angus bull in the area to borrow/lease/buy for the season, but I am seriously considering the AI option. I would like to introduce some Devon or Galloway into the bloodline to try and get a better outcome from a grass only operation.

Thanks for all the responses!

[tinknal]

Originally Posted by pointer_hunter

She's close to 3/4 Beefmaster and 1/4 Sim. We have a vet that lives in the area, so I would have her checked out before breeding her just to make sure she is big enough. If the beefmaster bull was my only option, I think would leave her open as well. He hasn't thrown as big a calf as the last bull we had, but I don't think I want to risk it. I am looking around for a young angus bull in the area to borrow/lease/buy for the season, but I am seriously considering the AI option. I would like to introduce some Devon or Galloway into the bloodline to try and get a better outcome from a grass only operation.

Thanks for all the responses!

Grass only you could do worse than longhorns. They evolved on the stuff......

[travlnusa]

With the disclaimer that I feel 700 is too small to breed.....

I would AI for only two. By my book, I needed around 10 cow/heifer to justify having a bull.

Choose a calving ease bull for the heifer, and for the cow, choose a bull that offsets her faults.

[evermoor]

Devons and Galloways are generally larger calves, even Angus has lost some of their easy calving influence. If I recall Beefmasters were a mutt breed that a rancher developed to survive on minimal inputs and wean a calf every year for ten or so years. Develop in the southwest in dry rangeland they are almost as hardy as the longhorn. Devons are big brutes that can eat a lot. Haven't been around Galloways. Gelbvieh are a nice consideration for they have plenty of muscle and milk, with generally good attitudes and smaller calves.

[pointer_hunter]

Tinkal, I have seen a few of the long horns around but I don't really think that I want to deal with an animal with horns that size.

[Jennifer L.]

If you go for it and breed this heifer soon, make sure you pop the feed to her next winter (higher protein) or she will lose flesh in order to grow the calf. When you are growing heifer and calf together it's pretty easy to short change the heifer. She'll catch up in a year, but it's no fun seeing a thin heifer calve.

I'm not a beef farmer, but calves are the name of the game with beef. No calf means negative income from the animal. With the whole summer ahead of her to grow, I would probably breed her if she's 700 pounds (but not 600).

Jennifer

[tinknal]

Originally Posted by pointer_hunter

Tinkal, I have seen a few of the long horns around but I don't really think that I want to deal with an animal with horns that size.

You can always dehorn. The point is that the calves are about the size of a large jack rabbit and vigorous as heck.

[pointer_hunter]

Dehorning a Long Horn would be like having Michael Jordan play baseball...it's just not natural I will look into them a little harder now though. I always thought they'd be bigger calves (everything's bigger in Texas ).

[Oxankle]

Angus bulls are rated for calving ease. AI catalogues list the bulls and rate them for pounds above or below the average calf birthweight.

A 700 pound heifer, with several good grass months ahead of her and at least 4 winter months before calving should not have a hard time. I'd AI her ASAP.
Ox

[hintonlady]

My grandfather in law has two small cow herds.(20 or so each) When left to their own natural devices (bull in with each herd all year) they do well. He has some momma cows drop calves in blizzards who survive just fine. He never has to pull or assist either. His herds are maintenance free and many breed outside of conventional seasons. A sweet surprise appears after the storms pass. Most of course manage to drop within a week or so of eachother.

Most local farmers are mystified by all this. There really is no secret aside from letting nature do what it knows what is best.

In summation: had you considered out of season breeding with Ai or other when she is a bit bigger?

[PremierLonghorns]

If you are looking for a bull to use on first calf heifers that will produce low birth weights w/ easy no assist calving and yet high weaning weights, consider a Texas Longhorn bull.

[LMonty]

or, consider one of the smaller breeds- like a lowline angus or dexter, at least for this year. If youre considering raising a replacement heifer for a beef program, it might keep them a bit smaller, so that might not be a good option if you'll be using larger bulls in the future. But if the calves are earmarked for the table or for a family milk cow, the jersey, lowline or dextrer option might work out real well. If you get a real good bull calf, he's got a good chance of staying smaller, and being a good bull candidate for a year or two for your smaller or older heifers too. Depends on your program, and your goals if something like that would work out. But I'd bet steer off a lowline bull woud not meet with any resistance at the marketplace, and half blood lowlines command good specialty market prices.

[farmerdan]

I have a nice 14 month old lowline angus bull that might fill the bill. He is for sale and willing to cooperate. Where are you in Michigan?

Dan