Three month old bull,,, thoughts?

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HanknCali

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This is a three month old bull calf born March 14. He's gaining pretty well and we are considering keeping him a bull and see how he turns out. What are your thoughts on this guy?
 
Have to agree with ALACOWMAN; I think he looks a little fine boned but it could just be the picture. I also agree with SOB, would want to be real thoughtful about the background. We have raised a couple of bull calves over the years, but with the time and effort to get them up to breeding size, and then worrying about not letting them breed sisters, it isn't often worth it for a smaller operation. We keep our bulls for many years if we like the calves, so the cost is usually well spread out and makes it much more worth buying for our operation. We might keep another one this year or next if we find one we really like.....but as a rule we don't.
 
Thank you for the responses. We have his Dam but not much more then that. Picked her up bred and she calved two weeks later. Other then that don't know much about her or the Sire. Just thought maybe we'd get lucky. Pics don't really do him justice but i do believe when we do need a herd bull we will bring one in that's proven. Again, thanks for replying I appreciate the honesty.
 
HanknCali":8qai4gvk said:
Thank you for the responses. We have his Dam but not much more then that. Picked her up bred and she calved two weeks later. Other then that don't know much about her or the Sire. Just thought maybe we'd get lucky. Pics don't really do him justice but i do believe when we do need a herd bull we will bring one in that's proven. Again, thanks for replying I appreciate the honesty.
Alway remember,especially in blind cases like this..."""what you see, is what you get""...You'll have to grow him to breeding age. Then he breeds your cows, you've lost 2 years before you find out the hard way...
 
In addition to his structure, the fact that his parentage is unknown, would seal the deal for me to castrate him. There's no telling what's in his woodpile.

However, having said all of that, I think he would do well, as a sale calf.
 
farmerjan":2ribyea2 said:
We keep our bulls for many years if we like the calves, so the cost is usually well spread out and makes it much more worth buying for our operation.

I have an issue with bulls being injured or lame or both.
How long does your average bull last?
 
While I agree with most of the above comments , I also think 3 months is too early to make a determination . You can always cut him . With that said , money in a bull , is your best money , IMO.
 
SS; we keep our bulls for an average of 6-8 years. Yes, really. If they are 12-18 months when we buy them, then they are often here for 6 or more years. Realize that we rent alot of pastures, the bulls are put with anywhere from 15-45 cows on average. We run 2 breeding seasons, spring and fall, and not all of them get used every time.We keep an average of 8-10 bulls, and use 5-7 in the spring and 3-5 in the fall. We also lease out one or two every year to people who have been using them for several years who only have 15-20 cows and a bull is a big expense for a couple of months use for them.
The biggest problem we have had is feet problems. We did rent one pasture and had a neighbors bull get in and our bull wound up with a broken leg, figured his bull hit ours from the side when he was breeding a cow. His bull was a problem with several area neighbors, very aggressive and mean, so it wasn't us. Had one years ago that "broke his penis", but that was the only other problem. Did have one that came up shooting blanks after using him for 4 years, we just shipped him.
The only other problem we have is they get to where they just decide they won't stay "home".. The cows get bred and then they go visiting. Once they don't respect the fences, they leave. Sold one a couple of years ago because his attitude just bothered me. He wasn't really aggressive, but would snort at you and just watch you, and I never felt safe near him. We bought him with a group of cows and he was fully mature when we got him. He also had some feet issues. Yes, all bulls need to be respected and never "trust" them; but some just are "less trustworthy". I cannot run fast enough or climb a fence fast enough to get away from one that I don't feel at least comfortable to be around. Ours are all pretty quiet and calm, come to feed into the pens, and most will load up in the trailer with just a bucket of feed right out of the pasture. I worry more about a cow with a new calf than a bull most times. I have been hurt by cows with an over protective attitude with a new calf. And we don't keep cows that have an attitude anymore. I like protective, and will tolerate a cow that doesn't want me near her brand new baby, but will not tolerate one that wants to hurt me. These cows are used to me and have been worked around, they know I am not the enemy. Standoffish for a few days with a new calf is fine.

I also agree with snoopdog. 3 months is young, you can always make him a steer a little later on. A bull is half you calf crop, so a good one is very well worth spending a little money on.
 
Thank you all. We have decided to take him and his mom back to the auction yard with the other pair we now have and send them down the road. Invest the money into something we really want for the future.
Again, thanks for the honest feedback.
 
I really like all the advice previously given here. I have a 3 M/O heifer that is 3/4 Angus, 1/4 LH that looks just like this. If it were me, I wouldn't use this guy to breed with. There are enough good, local breeders that will sell you a good young bull that I'd cut him, sell him and buy from someone that can show you what this guy's out of.
 
Jeanne - Simme Valley":2n7csdbg said:
Yes, by far, this is not a poor steer. Just not a good bull. Big difference. Out of 20-25 bulls, I only leave "maybe" 4 or 5 as bulls.
And you know who's who and what's what about the calfs background.
 
Jeanne - Simme Valley":3tz7zesp said:
Yes, by far, this is not a poor steer. Just not a good bull. Big difference. Out of 20-25 bulls, I only leave "maybe" 4 or 5 as bulls.
You cull a lot harder than most,,some of those culled out,would probably do a good job in someone's commercial herd....just from where I stand,
and what Ive seen..I can't imagine you having that many to cull...
 
I am ruthless on cutting the bull calves. First, I do not believe just because it has a good pedigree and a set of nuts, it should breed anyone's cows. Yes, most of my males would probably be an improvement for a herd (that's being a bit smug on my part!) - but, if I left them all (or most) bulls, they would be a dime a dozen priced. Keep the offering small & get what they are worth. Not that I sell bull for big bucks. Most of my bulls are sold as calves nursing the dam. People pick them out, put down a deposit & get them after weaning/pre-conditioning. If they pick them out before June 1, they are the cheapest.
Just sold my fall bull calf that we are going to show for $3000 today. Not a lot of money, but we will show him all season & they will take him in the fall.
Plus - not a very big market for bulls here in NY. I'm doing well to sell 3-5 each year. Could sell more for less money, but why? Biggest risk factor as a PB breeder who guarantees their cattle.
 

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