Jersey bull pot bellied ???

[lms0229]

Okay... so I bought a beautiful jersey bull that is perfect for crossing for first time heifers of a larger disposition as he is massive for a jersey bull! I am 100% certain that he is fullblood but based on the tape he is close to 1800 lbs and he is 5 years old. Most laid back bull ever and I have grown fond of him... the problem: He has a massive gut and has had it since I bought him 2 months ago. I thought maybe he was wormy or it was his diet but so far after addressing those factors nothing has changed. I have quality hay for him to forage on and I also provide extra quality hay aside from the ample forage grasses (I have only 3 animals on a 15 acre pasture) I give him loose mineral and a a lb of cubes a day or every other day. My beef heifers are Romagnola and they look great! I have dewormed him within the hour I got him home and separated him from every other animal for a week before moving him out of that pasture. He doesn’t seem to have water belly either so i don’t know what to do to lean this guy out. Also I have other jersey heifers in a pasture next to him and none have this gut issue so I don’t think it’s due to rich/poor diet. Can some cowboy guru help a lady out?

[Workinonit Farm]

Picture?

Was he a bottle-baby?

He actually has a good temperament?

[dun]

Does he have a hard time peeing? I'm thinking maybe waterbelly
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/urinary- ... ge-animals

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Maybe he just has good volume and is supposed to look like that. Picture please.

[OwnedByTheCow]

Pictures would help

[ALACOWMAN]

Jerseys are big gutted, for the most part. as are alot of dairy cattle... Could be normal for him. Has a lot has to do with their phenotype. Not as muscled ...makes them look out of proportion ...he may be laid back but,,,he can lay you out....can be the most aggressive bull around..been a lot of folks killed by them

[Mat Man]

Had one Jersey bull years ago. He would total hay rings feed troughs and trucks if he could get to them.He was not mean but I did not turn my back on him.

[Son of Butch]

Okay... so I bought a beautiful jersey bull.... he is massive for a jersey bull! I am 100% certain that he is full blood and
he is 5 years old.... the problem: He has a massive gut and has had it since I bought him 2 months ago.
I thought maybe he was wormy.... dewormed him within the hour I got him home....
He doesn’t seem to have water belly either so i don’t know what to do to lean this guy out.

Hmmm... you describe him as Beautiful... yet pot bellied from the day you got him. (major contradiction to me)
So we know the pot belly was not caused by how and what you are feeding.
All cattle have some worms, by age 5 any healthy enough to be considered beautiful can carry whatever worm load
they have previously picked up.

You say it is not water belly.... I believe you.
You want to LEAN this guy out, yet never said he has excessive fat cover.
I assume you mean you want reduce his 'waistline' and for him to have a smaller belly.
Dairy breeds are often genetically predisposed to a deeper larger belly (body capacity) for increased milk production.

Pictures would help...But be warned newer members posting a picture of their bull on here is like playing
Russian Roulette with only one bullet removed from the chamber.

My advice would be to worm him again with an injectable wormer and continue to supply him with good nutrition.
I doubt that you will see any change, but you will have done what you can and even with no change he's still beautiful.

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Pretty much all "newbies" in owning cattle think their cattle are BEAUTIFUL. Eye of the master comes with time.

[ALACOWMAN]

Pretty much all "newbies" in owning cattle think their cattle are BEAUTIFUL. Eye of the master comes with time.

You got that right.. Looking at some of the old sale catalogues That have drool stains on them.. Are now stained with tears...

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Poster - please, please take Alacowman's warning about his temperament. Jersey bulls are absolutely the worse known bulls of ANY BREED - beef or dairy. They can be man-killers. Any bull, of any breed, should NEVER be trusted. Never turn your back on one.

[Ky hills]

Poster - please, please take Alacowman's warning about his temperament. Jersey bulls are absolutely the worse known bulls of ANY BREED - beef or dairy. They can be man-killers. Any bull, of any breed, should NEVER be trusted. Never turn your back on one.

Y'all are telling the absolute truth, I can speak from experience as to the temperment of dairy breed bulls including Jersey. A friend that had a dairy was hurt by a Holstien bull, it has left him with ongoing back problems. When I raised dairy calves on nurse cows, I decided once to keep a Jersey and a Holstien for bulls that was a short lived idea. By the time they were close to a year old they were bellering continually and pawing dirt and charging. Have raised quite a few Charolais bulls as well as several Angus, and Hereford bulls, and only one them showed any signs of aggressive behavior. The dairy bulls were not even bottle raised, but raised on nurse cows. I sold both of them at around a year old, and decided to AI the Jersey cows and breed everything else to an Angus bull at that time. I was not going to put my self or anyone else in danger just trying to feed those things.

[JCcattle]

Ive always thot every Jersey was potbellied! Not that I’ve had a lot to do with them but I’d guess he’s probably just the way he’s going to be!

[BK9954]

I have used jerseys for heifer bulls many times, they all look potbellied to me. A lot of jersey bulls WERE BOTTLE CALVES so it's a good chance he has been this way for a while from malnutrition as a calf. I wouldn't worry too much. DO NOT TURN YOUR BACK ON HIM. I wouldn't keep one past 14 months old. They are as mean as heck and have come at me and the kids many times, every one I have owned. Too much testosterone. I have had them breed at 10 months old.

[ALACOWMAN]

You know just to look at a jersey bull, youd think it would be the most gentle, docile..of any breed out there..big old soft eyes...the most gentle Brahman cow I had ..had a eye set,that would make Charlie Manson feel uneasy...