Farm or freezer? (To breed or not to breed)

[cjc]

Poor guy. You did a great job with him.

 

[Baymule]

Trying to mount goats, your husband, that behavior can only get worse as his hormones kick in. I think you know what you need to do. You saved him, raised him, you know how he has been cared for. What better freezer meat could you possibly have? This is an opportunity to teach your children respect and reverence for the animal they raised and are going to consume. Ask for all the parts, liver, heart, kidneys, ox tail, leg bones(for broth). I don’t like liver, kidneys or heart. I cut them up, heat and can for my dogs. The more of the animal I can use, the higher respect and appreciation I have for it.

 

[RollingAcres]

I agree with what @Baymule said!

 

[Latestarter]

Unless there's some imperative reason that the decision be made this instant, why not give him a couple more months of growth and see where it goes, how he does? Maybe he'll be acceptable as a herd sire, maybe he'll make great grilling... Think I'd separate him from any living potential amorous targets though, like the goats...

 

[farmerjan]

I would have to agree more with GB. Disposition is a big thing, but the front legs aren't as good as they can be. He has good body length. Unless you really need a bull and this one has "fallen in your lap" so it has a plus, I would rather you do the AI route for breeding. He could very well stay really good and docile his whole life as a bull. Sometimes they just know that they should be thankful for their life. But I am as cautious with a new momma cow as I am with a bull. They are more unpredictable in my experience.
I see no reason to band him to make him beef, if he continues to be quiet and handleable. You would be butchering him in the 18 to 24 month age range to be able to utilize as much as possible. After 27 months, the backbone and related tissue has to be discarded due to the BSE risk ( mad cow disease). So have him done by 24 months to be on the safe side, if he is going to be beef. In the meantime, you do have a little time to just let him grow and see how he turns out. It wasn't his fault he had such a rough start, but sometimes they just never "do good". One other thing to be sure of if you do decide to keep him as a bull for breeding...get a semen test to make sure there are no problems.

 

[greybeard]

Many people, myself included prefer the taste of an intact bull over a steer. My explanation is that is has a 'sweeter' taste, a real taste of beef. It IS a crap shoot tho. Sometimes you get one with a stronger taste than is desirable if it is breeding age. He will need some finishing tho.
Compared to a bull day for day on feed and forage, a steer normally does put on more weight quicker and better fat covering and marbling.
Speaking of measuring..you can try a weight tape, or measure with a regular flexible cloth/vinyl tape to get an approximation of his weight.
this


or this

or this video showing a weight tape--make sure your weight tape is for beef breeds

 

[jhm47]

The dam of this bull obviously wasn't a good mother. This can carry on to him, and his daughters may not have much mothering instinct. He is also very small for his age (many of my calves are at or above 500 lbs at 6 months of age. Of course, your calf never had much of a chance to grow normally like a normal calf. The fact that he's mounting things doesn't actually mean much. Many of my calves begin to mount each other at several weeks old (both bulls and heifers). I love 2 - 3 month old bull calves, as they are great heat detectors during my AI breeding season. I'd say get him on a good growing ration, get him to 8 - 900 lbs, and then on to a finishing ration to 1100 lbs, and then butcher. You don't need to castrate, just BE CAREFUL! Good luck!

 

[Simpleterrier]

My first thought is if u keep him as a bull and plan to breed are u going to buy breeding age cows or younger heifers? I would really think about the time line u would have and the cost to feed him and the pay off. I like to look at things that way. And not to be mean or get jumped on I would have put the calf down. For me medicine and vet bills have to be less then calf is worth and I have to have a good feeling that they won't get sick again. You did a good job keeping him alive. I would enjoy him coming to me on a plate. If he is trying to ride your husband. Then I would worried about my kids and even your own safety. I have had to beat cows back from women during their time of the month. Not fun not at all.

So enjoy some food steaks.

 

[greybeard]

In retrospect, it IS a good thing you got both the sheriff Dept and calf owner involved and was able to raise the calf with owner's 'permission'. Around here, taking in an estray is illegal.
They automatically belong to the county to be taken by the SD and if the owner is not found, they get auctioned off and the county gets the proceeds.

If I were to keep one even after trying my best to find the owner, and the SD found out, it would be ME that gets taken by the SD...along with the calf.

 

[Tatiana Blackburn]

Hi all! I have a silly newby question to ask...

For background, I am known among friends and apparently also among my husband's work crew as the pied Piper of broken things. In September, 2017, we got a call from one of hubby's laborers that he had found a calf alone in a ditch. Days later, he was still there and very weak. There were no cattle and no farmsteads to be seen for miles, so they brought him home and called us.

After nearly a week of doctoring, several hours driving back roads with the sheriff, and some very terse words after being called a thief, we tracked down the owner (who didn't know the calf was missing). He runs a few thousand head of Angus and didn't want a calf that couldn't just be put back on the mama, nor did he want to pay for my expenses in keeping the calf alive. In the end, he told us he would just throw it out in the pasture to live (he wasn't even bottle feeding well, he'd have died), then asked if we wanted a calf rather than paying me for my expenses. So we took him back home.

We made it through him being so dehydrated and malnourished that he was too weak to nurse, then scours, through respiratory illness that reared its head as soon as he was hydrated enough to make mucous, and after a few weeks I stopped reminding my son repeatedly that the calf might not be alive next time we came outside to tend him. We initially planned to band him when he was around 6 months old and stronger... but 9 months later, he is still intact and we are hearing time and again how nicely built he is. Some even going so far as to tell us he should be kept whole as a herd sire.

Now, my question is if he really is worth that? I've been around livestock all my life, it was ingrained when I was very young that the bull would as soon kill me than look at me, and that I wasn't even to be near the fence. I really did not plan to have cattle until a year from now. He is currently with my horses. He is thoroughly socialized and easy to handle. He leads, loads into the trailer, and is super chill, bit only about 500 lbs.View attachment 49564 View attachment 49565 View attachment 49566 View attachment 49570 View attachment 49569 View attachment 49566

Don't mistake me, he's still a bull and I absolutely understand the risks that are inherent to that. I've made a point of teaching my husband and son to never turn their backs on him, to always have a visual on him, to have an exit strategy ahead of time, and that he is not a pet. But in the end, as a small animal vet tech it drove me crazy having clientele that bred animals that should never reproduce.

So. Besides the fact that it's a pain and a hazard to keep a bull, confirmation wise is this guy worth keeping whole?

If he is healthy there is no real reason you should have to castrate other then not wanting him to bedbr. If you continue to socialize with him he generally won't turn vicious. My ex had a red Hereford that he would go out and play with, scratch and even ride on occasion on the farm we lived on who was raised from a calf. He would be a great lead bull that will help you get your other cattle in because he is so gentle.