Keeping bull calf

[Tilly]

DH has decided he wants to keep Zoey's little bull calf, which means keeping Zoey until he's weaned!UHHH!! So, when can I wean the little guy? And when will he be old enough to breed? my other cows won't be ready to breed(due to my time frame) until june. He won't be ready by then, will he? We want to use a different bull, and don't want any mix-ups!!!! BTW, the breeder came down to check on things and was very pleased with this little guy, and wanted to keep him as a bull if we decide not to purchase him.

[francismilker]

Usually, you're able to wein a dairy bull calf when he's eating at least four pounds of grain a day and eating hay free choice. Depending on what breed he is, he should be able to service a cow when he's a yearling. (some jerseys will start trying a lot sooner in life!)

[mpillow]

LOL size generally does matter in this case!

He may try and fall right over backwards (and hurt himself) if your cows are too big for him!

[ksfarmer]

Not sure how old your calf is now, but, as Francismilker says , if he is eating that well he could be weaned. If not, you could supplement him with milk replacer if you want to get rid of the cow now. I only raise beef breeds and wouldn't use a bull less than 0ne year old, however, that doesn't mean they wouldn't be capable of servicing a cow at an earlier age. Some are fully capable at 7 or 8 months of age. You may have to keep him isolated from the cows before June if you don't want any surprises.

[Tilly]

He's a dexter bull, 2 weeks old. The breeder thinks he has potential as a bull, we will need to have him tested for bulldog gene as mom is a carrier. All bulls I've seen have been non-carriers, so if he's a carrier, is it best to steer him?

[Shirley]

I had never heard of bulldog gene so I looked it up. Here is a portion of what I read:
Scientifically we know that both sire and dam must have the gene for the Bulldog to occur. If both parents have the gene there is a 25% chance of a Bulldog calf, which means a 75% chance of it not occurring even if both parents have the gene. If you mate a carrier of either sex to a carrier of the opposite sex the result will be 25% bulldogs, 25% non carrier calves and 50% carrier calves. If you mate a non-carrier of either sex to a carrier of the opposite sex the result will be 50% non-carrier and 50% carrier but no bulldog calves due to both must have the gene to produce a bulldog and then a 25% chance.