# Keeping a Hereford Bull



## round_rock_ray (Feb 7, 2015)

I'm hoping someone can answer or give me your 2 cents. But are bulls kept separately or do they roam freely with heard? I've tried to find the answer online but I can seem to find anything?

Thanks



I've been thinking and reading about for the past few days.


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## G. Seddon (May 16, 2005)

Some keep the bull with the cows year-round, but I believe most commercial cattle people try to confine calving to a certain period in the fall or spring. Even with a very small herd, I found it more convenient to have cows calve September-November or March-May, so I'd have the bull with the cows to time calving within those periods. I didn't want cows calving in bitter cold or in the heat of summer. It also made it easier to wean a group of calves together. Anyway, people do things differently depending on their location and other factors. 

Here are some articles about it that may be helpful:

https://www.drovers.com/search?keyword=8+steps+to+take+control+of+calving+season


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## Yellowsnow (May 11, 2016)

Our bull (Angus) is loose with the cows. We have calves from November through April. Most do fine in the winter, but we do lose a calf here and there, and sometimes an old cow will go down. It's much easier to run them together and send the unwanted replacements to auction or sold for beef. 

Our heard is small and goes anywhere from 30-60 head depending. Works for us, might not work for anyone else.


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## round_rock_ray (Feb 7, 2015)

G. Seddon said:


> Some keep the bull with the cows year-round, but I believe most commercial cattle people try to confine calving to a certain period in the fall or spring. Even with a very small herd, I found it more convenient to have cows calve September-November or March-May, so I'd have the bull with the cows to time calving within those periods. I didn't want cows calving in bitter cold or in the heat of summer. It also made it easier to wean a group of calves together. Anyway, people do things differently depending on their location and other factors.
> 
> Here are some articles about it that may be helpful:
> 
> https://www.drovers.com/search?keyword=8+steps+to+take+control+of+calving+season


How much


Yellowsnow said:


> Our bull (Angus) is loose with the cows. We have calves from November through April. Most do fine in the winter, but we do lose a calf here and there, and sometimes an old cow will go down. It's much easier to run them together and send the unwanted replacements to auction or sold for beef.
> 
> Our heard is small and goes anywhere from 30-60 head depending. Works for us, might not work for anyone else.


Do you have any problems with the bull jumping the fence? And how's the bull's temperament?


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## Yellowsnow (May 11, 2016)

round_rock_ray said:


> How much
> 
> Do you have any problems with the bull jumping the fence? And how's the bull's temperament?


Haha, those are some loaded questions.

The Bull jumps the fence, but after that he gets sent to auction and a new heard bull is added. The neighbor dairy has cows that go into heat through out the year and the bulls catches the wind. Once they figure out how to get out, they keep doing it.

The bulls have all been just fine for the most part. I never take my eye off of them though.

Herefords may be different. I do not have experience with them, but have heard they are more docile than the angus.


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

Most folks want to market feeders at a specific time of the year. I'd put the bull with the cows July 1st. so I get calves in April. Winter born calves are a lot of work to keep alive. Summer born calves are too small to sell at the Fall Feeder Calf Sales.
From July 1st until May, the bull can be with the herd.


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## round_rock_ray (Feb 7, 2015)

haypoint said:


> Most folks want to market feeders at a specific time of the year. I'd put the bull with the cows July 1st. so I get calves in April. Winter born calves are a lot of work to keep alive. Summer born calves are too small to sell at the Fall Feeder Calf Sales.
> From July 1st until May, the bull can be with the herd.


Where do you do keep the bull after May?


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## Yellowsnow (May 11, 2016)

round_rock_ray said:


> Where do you do keep the bull after May?


A Bull Pen. Baseball didn't make that up.


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

round_rock_ray said:


> Where do you do keep the bull after May?


In another pasture. Sometimes in a small paddock near the barn. Sometimes in a pasture with the steers. Sometimes kept in the barn. It is just a couple months, so not a big inconvenience.
You can get someone to come out and do AI cheaper than keeping a bull and get better genetics.


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## Yellowsnow (May 11, 2016)

Just remember, what is done in the UP of Michigan isn't the same as in Texas or even here on Rock Creek.

The practices can be done the same, but the necessity of the climate isn't the same. 

Depending on what you're doing with the cattle, I suggest looking at auction prices over the years back. Find out what time of year the prices are highest, and plan for calves to bring the best return. Pen the bull up to get your calving on time with your market.

I can't see Texas having the winter problems of us in the North.


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## Ronney (Nov 26, 2004)

I wanted to quote Haypoint's Quote No 6 but can't get it right! Anyway, apart from the months when the bull goes out, that is what I do. 

I breed for the market as there is no point in not doing so - I would just end up with a heap of calves at the wrong time of the year when nobody has feed. 

The bull goes out with the cows for 6 weeks and then gets put in a paddock with steers to keep him company. Often I will leave him with the cows if I have no stock available for company and have yet to have a late calver. He will get pulled out once calving starts as I don't want cows going back to him immediately. 

No, I don't have problems with bulls jumping fences - if one keeps a bull, or bulls, one uses some common sense. I don't keep bulls on boundary fences where they can get to the next-door-neighbours dairy cows, and every paddock has an electric top wire on out riggers to prevent them getting at my younger stock in internal paddocks. On the rare occasion I do have to have them in boundary paddocks I ring my neighbours and let them know. 

I run Angus and find them of good temperament. Have also worked with Hereford and not had any problems with them either. Always treat my bulls with respect.

Cheers,
Ronnie


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## hiddensprings (Aug 6, 2009)

We kept out bulls separated from the girls the majority of the year. They were put in for 60 days for breeding and then back to the bull pen. I often joked with Hubby that the males on our farm had the best jobs.....laying around doing nothing the majority of the time, then play time, then lay around.


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## round_rock_ray (Feb 7, 2015)

haypoint said:


> In another pasture. Sometimes in a small paddock near the barn. Sometimes in a pasture with the steers. Sometimes kept in the barn. It is just a couple months, so not a big inconvenience.
> You can get someone to come out and do AI cheaper than keeping a bull and get better genetics.


I thought about going the AI route to avoid the headache


Ronney said:


> I wanted to quote Haypoint's Quote No 6 but can't get it right! Anyway, apart from the months when the bull goes out, that is what I do.
> 
> I breed for the market as there is no point in not doing so - I would just end up with a heap of calves at the wrong time of the year when nobody has feed.
> 
> ...


 how big should a paddock be for a bull and a 1-2 steers?


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

round_rock_ray said:


> how big should a paddock be for a bull and a 1-2 steers?


If you just want an area where they destroy every blade of grass and you feed hay, a 1/4 acre with good fence is enough. To pasture, depends on the area. In my area, 3 acres would be fine to pasture all summer. In some areas, like Texas, you might need a hundred.


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## ksfarmer (Apr 28, 2007)

I used to run mostly Herefords, later mostly Angus because black sells better. Herefords were usually more docile, but don't get careless around any bull. 
Usually put the bulls in with cows in June, to get spring calves. Didn't have to separate till cows started calving in March. Then drylot for Bulls for about 3+ months till breeding time again. Bulls were fed to be in good condition for work. If you run the bulls year round with the cows , you will get calves scattered all year. Best prices can be obtained by having calves of uniform size and age. With my method occasionally, you get a late calf, but mostly will calve in March and April. The late cows were culled.


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## Ronney (Nov 26, 2004)

Your question would be a hard one to answer Ray because as Haypoint pointed out (oh, all those points) it varies all over the country - and between countries. I have permanent fencing and the farm is cut up into over 30 paddocks. The fences follow the line of the land making for uneven sized paddocks but that doesn't matter - stock get moved when they have eaten the paddock out. I normally follow the bull and steers behind the cows (but that isn't set in concrete, nothing in farming is) as on good grass a non-working bull can get pretty fat. A few years ago I sent a bull to the works and got penalised because he was too heavy and they had to stop the killing chain. 

Have you got a plan in mind or are you just curious - and there's nothing wrong in being curious.

Cheers,
Ronnie


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## round_rock_ray (Feb 7, 2015)

Ronney said:


> Your question would be a hard one to answer Ray because as Haypoint pointed out (oh, all those points) it varies all over the country - and between countries. I have permanent fencing and the farm is cut up into over 30 paddocks. The fences follow the line of the land making for uneven sized paddocks but that doesn't matter - stock get moved when they have eaten the paddock out. I normally follow the bull and steers behind the cows (but that isn't set in concrete, nothing in farming is) as on good grass a non-working bull can get pretty fat. A few years ago I sent a bull to the works and got penalised because he was too heavy and they had to stop the killing chain.
> 
> Have you got a plan in mind or are you just curious - and there's nothing wrong in being curious.
> 
> ...


 No plans just curious. I've got 32 ac and I'm thinking about buying 4-6 hereford cows for beef.


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## cpnkrunch (Dec 6, 2014)

I keep the bull with the cows, year around. My cows run a yearly cycle, only if they fail to settle the first time do they get out of sync. Staring to calve now. If you only have half a dozen, go AI. Will save you feeding another cow and a half plus to get a good genetics bull is expensive.


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## Windswept Hill (Nov 23, 2010)

round_rock_ray said:


> I'm hoping someone can answer or give me your 2 cents. But are bulls kept separately or do they roam freely with heard? I've tried to find the answer online but I can seem to find anything?
> 
> Thanks
> 
> ...


I believe that a satiated bull is a happy, content and peaceful bull.

Mine runs with the herd all year round and he's no problemo.


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## Phean (Dec 16, 2012)

For those that don't separate: When do you separate replacement heifers from bull?


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## ksfarmer (Apr 28, 2007)

Shortly before the come in heat and get bred. LOL, seriously, different breeds will cycle at different ages.


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Replace the bull on a regular basis. 

Or find someone to trade heifers with.


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## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

I run our Brangus bull with my cows year round. I only have 7 cows and kept back a yearling bull calf for a herd sire starting in a couple years. My bull is 6 years old and a big ol boy, I can't put him on first time heifers. My young bull will do that job, my older bull stays with my cows. I just got my first spring calf and will get my last one by the end of May. I keep the heifers and sell the bull calves in the spring sale, in fact just sent 4 from last spring yesterday and they sold today. 

Our bull used to jump until he got a small group of cows he really likes, and he has been settled and staying home for about 3 years now. Before that, there were an awful lot of red calves born in our surrounding area:-( Thankfully our neighbors were good about it and sold off those calves for a nice price at market, otherwise we would have been in dutch with them all! A 2000 lb bull can take down a whole lot of barbed wire fencing when he puts his weight into it. But he is happy now and doesn't travel, even with fresh heifers in several neighboring pastures that he can see and smell. Phew.


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## Gravytrain (Mar 2, 2013)

Phean said:


> For those that don't separate: When do you separate replacement heifers from bull?


At weaning.


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## DJ in WA (Jan 28, 2005)

Phean said:


> For those that don't separate: When do you separate replacement heifers from bull?


I once bought a heifer that ended up calving at 15 months, so was bred at 6 months old. Not good.

Supposedly you can give shot of Lutalyse in early pregnancy to abort, but don't know who does that routinely in case of accidents.


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