Will my Bulls get along?

[CatCow]

We had an existing Bull (2 years old) & decided to bring in 2 cows (6 & 7) & a bull (4 years old) that mated with them previously. We now have the second bull penned up but allow our 1st bull and the cows to roam the pasture. We feed the penned bull sweet feed & fresh grass clippings daily. (Maybe I'm being too sensitive here).. I can't help but think that he's got to be lonely & needing herd interaction. When our bull goes to the fence to kind of "talk" to the other, there is not any displayed aggression from either bull. Does the penned bull realize that he's confined & not try to display dominance? I'm wanting to let him out very badly, but afraid that there will be blood shed, due to the fact that our existing bull is with his "ladies". What do you think?

 

[M.L. McKnight]

Bulls are ornery pain in the butt puppy dogs! (Best over all description I could think of) Always remember that a bull is a bull! They may butt heads a bit and do some pushing but there won't be any sort of blood bath in your pasture. Cattle like to play with each other and the only time the bulls will get aggressive is when the cows are in heat. My uncle runs up to a dozen bulls together with his cattle, the bulls form a click and hangout for most of the year; during mating season they get stupid and only have breeding on their mind! Even then they don't fight, each bull woes a group of cows and spends his time doing what he's meant to do.

 

[CatCow]

Being that there are only two cows, is that enough to keep one occupied in mating season? Will I have to pen him back up during mating season?

 

[M.L. McKnight]

One mature bull can service 20 cows usually. If you are determined to keep both then you might want to think of offering them for service sires.

 

[CatCow]

We were actually thinking of using the second one for meat, since he is an Angus cross. He just seems so miserable. Also, what is the best way to steer him for meat consumption?

 

[M.L. McKnight]

Most are turned into steers when they are young, anywhere from a few days to a few months old. Turning a 2 or 4 year old bull into a steer is NOT a job I'd want. If that is what you want to do, consult a vet. I'd imagine banding at that age would be out of the question and cutting one of them will cause a tremendous amount of bleeding.

Older hands than me may have castrated stock this old, I've done young ones. You also need to ask yourself why you'd want to turn it into a steer. Bulls might have a slightly stronger flavor during certain times of the year but more often than not I doubt you'd be able to notice. You may do more harm than good by castrating him unless you intend on raising him to a very high weight.

As a side note, IF he looks good- he is young enough to have plenty of breeding years left and you could sell him as such. With the price of beef, quality breeding stock is commanding a premium.

 

[OneFineAcre]

Most are turned into steers when they are young, anywhere from a few days to a few months old. Turning a 2 or 4 year old bull into a steer is NOT a job I'd want. If that is what you want to do, consult a vet. I'd imagine banding at that age would be out of the question and cutting one of them will cause a tremendous amount of bleeding.

Older hands than me may have castrated stock this old, I've done young ones. You also need to ask yourself why you'd want to turn it into a steer. Bulls might have a slightly stronger flavor during certain times of the year but more often than not I doubt you'd be able to notice. You may do more harm than good by castrating him unless you intend on raising him to a very high weight.

As a side note, IF he looks good- he is young enough to have plenty of breeding years left and you could sell him as such. With the price of beef, quality breeding stock is commanding a premium.

x2
Sell the bull and buy a steer.

 

[WildRoseBeef]

It doesn't seem like there's going to be much action now, but believe me, if you let him out with the other three there's going to be some heated bovine pecking order fighting going on between the both of them that could last for a while. No there's not going to be a blood bath, but if either bull is as big and strong as the other, the fight could go on for a bit and may become a bit worry-some for you. Some bulls may be just big annoying puppy dogs, but others can be down-right dangerous, so never ever take them nor anything for granted.

But really, you need to consider getting rid of one or both bulls and going AI on the cows. Those bulls need to be with far more than just two cows, because they breed with at least 20 cows (some can breed up to 50), and shouldn't be kept with just a couple cows. I wouldn't use them as service sires if their genetics and conformation are questionable and there isn't a demand for them either. They can be hard on fences if they get even a whiff of a neighbor cow in heat, and dangerous too if either one of your cows are in heat or discover that you're not the boss any more.

In my honest opinion it's too late to castrate any one of your bulls simply because it's much more stressful and painful to the bull to be cut at this age. Bulls should be steered when their less than a year old, ideally even less than that. If you're going to slaughter the bull, leave him intact and fatten him up for a little while to reduce the strong flavor and get a little more fat on him. Otherwise, get him slaughtered now for sausage and ground beef and think about selling the other bull or using him--if he's good enough--as a hired service sire.

 

[CatCow]

We were only considering castration because we were told that the testosterone from an intact bull taints the meat. But it's sounding like that's not an issue, correct? We are first time cattle owners, so please excuse any ignorance on my end. We only want what's best for all of our animals. We would like to leave our 1st (2 year old) bull intact as he is a registered Zebu, as are the females, so sire services may be the way to go from what I'm hearing. What do you mean by strong flavor? Is there any particular season that it would be stronger than others? What's the best way to fatten him up for slaughter? Any particular diet for better flavor? He's about 400lbs so we don't want to use him all for ground beef & sausage. We'd like to get some nice cuts of meat from him. Thanks for all the info guys! :] keep it coming!

 

[M.L. McKnight]

Are your cattle minis? A 4 year old 400lb'er is on the small end. IF he is a mini, you'd make a lot more money selling him as an intact breeding bull to someone. Use your 2 year old on the two cows when they come in heat again and as a bonus you'll be able to use him on any heifers you get from your cows once they come of age.

My bucking bull is going to be 5 months old in mid June and he's sitting around 300lbs. That doesn't sound overly impressive but I feed grasses, hay and forage to my cattle. If I had him on grain he'd be a beast.
If your cattle aren't minis then I'd get a second opinion on that bull's weight because that sounds mighty light to me. As for what you want to feed him with the intentions of eating him, it depends on what you want the outcome to be. Grain fed fatten quicker and can be pretty darn good beef. Grass fed finishes much slower and have what can be described as a beefier flavor. I first tried grass fed beef when I was teaching at a culinary school in Saskatchewan, I didn't believe it was beef! The level of nutrients between grain fed, grass fed and grain finished beef are all debatable, everyone that has a dog in the hunt swears by their chosen method.
I enjoy grass fed and am willing to sacrifice finishing speed for flavor, I also save money by not having a grain bill for my cattle! IF you go the grass fed route, read up about the pros and cons of various high protein forages such as alfalfa, sainfoin, cicer milkvetch, lespedeza, birds foot trefoil and etc. Then read about the best grasses for your area.
IF you go the grain route, corn, wheat, oats, ddg, peanut hull pellets, sweetfeed, wheat mids and etc area all fine. There is a book called Morrisons Feed and Feeding, its as old as dirt but is a must have for anyone tending stock. Just make sure that whichever route you choose you provide lots of clean water, minerals and salt. Those three are a must no matter what.