Breeding our cows- buy a bull and resale in two months?

[nathan104]

We have two cows that need to be rebred as their heifer calves are 8 months old now. They havent weaned yet. We also have two 1 year old heifers. We got lucky the first time and borrowed a neighbors bull for two months, but now he has sold him off.

I havent seen anything about anyone doing AI around here and it seems a little intimidating to me anyways, trying to time everything right.

So, I am thinking of buying a bull either off craigslist or from the sale barn, putting him in a side pasture with the two cows for two months to get them bred and then sell him off again. Id like to keep him until the fall to breed the two 1 year old heifers as they would be 17 months old then, but Im worried about being able to keep him seperated that long from the heifers that arent ready to breed yet. So, I guess I would have to do the same buy/resale on a bull in the fall.

What do others on here do that has a small herd varying in age? Am I looking at this the right way? Thanks!

[CIW]

The tough thing about breeding to a bull that you essentially know nothing about is that they could carry brucelosis, tricinosis or both.
I guess you could test the bull after you buy it or even better, ask for a test before you buy.
You also don't know how big his calves are going to be.
Its kind of like breeding to Tony the Pony down the street. You have no idea what you are going to get.

[bruce2288]

Yes you are. With 4 head you can not pay big bucks for a bull and feed him year round. Have you checked sale barn prices. Weigh up bulls are bringing $1.oo/lb. If your heifers are a year old and are decent size 700-800lb I would breed them now. You could have been breeding the cows 5 months ago.

[MO_cows]

Bullpower - It is the small herd dilemma, isn't it? AI is cheaper overall and you would have access to much better quality genetics than you could ever afford otherwise. Not to mention the variety of genetics available, breeds where you couldn't find a live bull within 500 miles, you can still get semen.

Don't buy a used bull at the sale barn! Health reasons, safety reasons, etc. If you absolutely must buy a live bull and not AI, get one right off the farm from the breeder. This time of year you will have the leftovers to choose from, the better ones sell first.

[G. Seddon]

I agree about avoiding the sale barn. Better to go to a cattle breeder in your area and try to find one that hasn't been used for breeding before and perhaps offer to pay for a breeding soundness exam.

Or talk to someone about AI and make certain you're getting calving ease genetics. With that many heifers, you'll need to be careful about calving whether by AI or natural service.

[nathan104]

I've never bought anything from the sale barn before. I defintly dont want to keep a bull year round as it would be too much to feed him.

I went to look at a young bull today someone close by was selling. He ended up being too young and small at 10 months for me to use now, but he had a three other bulls running with his herd and I asked about them. He didnt want to sell them but we talked and he is willing to let me rest his two years old hereford bull for $100 a month. I think that should work out great. I should be picking him up next week.

I know the two cows should have already been rebred, but was havent been able to do it until now. So, if they breed in the next month ofr so, they should drop next april.

As for the two heifers, Ive always heard a year is way too young to breed and to wait until they are 15 months old. These two do have good build and Im guessing are around 700lbs. One is a charlois cross and the other is a tigerstripe white face.

I may look more into AI before breeding them in the fall.

[DJ in WA]

Just make sure you have good fences, since bulls wanting to wander for breeding are hard to stop.

And since bulls sometimes like to beat things up, keep stuff away from him. I once left a wheelbarrow in the field and found it crumpled up.

You may not see ads for AI, but I called a dairy and the guy offered to store semen and breed my one or two cows a year. Dairies get good at AI, as they do it alot. I pay him well for the inconvenience, but still cheaper and less hassle than a bull.

And as mentioned, I get to shop the internet for good bulls of my choice. Calves from such bulls should gain better or sell better, with better conformation, udders, disposition, etc, though it isn't guaranteed. But better odds than with your average local bull.

I've only missed on two out of over ten services, one of which was when I had only one cow. With two cows, its easier cuz they will ride each other. You want to see the one in heat standing while being ridden. If you see that in the morning, breed her that evening, and if see it in the evening, breed the next morning. I would start practicing now observing their heats and the stages. Early they are vocal and have a vaginal discharge, they ride and are ridden, then toward the end they stand still to be ridden, and soon it is over. Half day later or so you might see some bloody discharge resulting from ovulation.

You mentioned your cows hadn't weaned their calves yet. Just want to make sure everyone knows that isn't necessary before breeding. Normally you want a calf the same time each year, so with a pregnancy lasting over 9 months, cows should be bred within 3 months after calving. If they are unbred more than 3 months, they're producing nothing and become an expensive hobby.

Another point is fertility declines in the heat, so spring breeding is better than summer.

[LaDena]

Nathan, I don't know where you are located in East Texas but we live in Lufkin and have a red polled Dexter bull for sale. Toby will turn 4 in August and we are selling him because we need to change bulls. We kept all his heifers from last year and plan to keep any that we have this year. He's been a great bull to have, nice disposition, gets along well in the herd and easy on fences and such. We are asking $1500 and that includes a BSE and Trich test with a paid deposit and transfer of registration. We can also do delivery within a limited area for a small fee. I'll try to attach a photo. Take care, LaDena

[nathan104]

Im not very familiar withg the Dexter breed, but arent they a very small/miniature breed? My red brangus cow is extremely tall and weighs over 1500lbs. Im not sure a smaller breed bull could put it to her, lol.

[LaDena]

Nathan, good point. He is only 42 inches at the shoulder and about #1000. I know he would try,lol.

[haypoint]

A few years ago, I worked out a deal on a bull. The owner was replacing him because he was keeping daughters. The was reg. Angus and had been through a Michigan Cattlemans Bull test. They test for rate of growth, weaning weight, and a bunch more stuff. Quality bull. But he was going to sell him for slaughter. My neighbor needed a bull, too. So, we struck a deal that I'd haul the bull 300 miles, use him for 2 months and sell him to my neighbor for what I paid for him and then haul the neighbor's old bull to the Auction. I got the use of the bull. Neighbor used his old bull and then had a bull around for the next season's breeding. That bull is still breeding cows.

Then the next year, I got another top Angus, that was 4 years old, from an Angus breeder for slaughter price. Used him and then sold him at Auction. Weighed 2300 pounds. I could have made out better if I could have found 100 people that wanted 10 pounds of hamburger, or 10 people that wanted 100 pounds of hamburger.

Don't bring a Sale Bull on the farm. Talk to some cattlemen and see if you can buy a good old bull (3-4 years) for a few months and then recover most of your cost at Auction.