# What to do with yearling Jersey bull?



## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

I've got a yearling Jersey bull that has done all that I need him to do this year around my place. He has infact done what most of his breed mates do as young jersey bulls. (Got ornery!) He hasn't sent anyone to the hospital but I haven't given him the chance. I try to use the approach, "walk softly and carry a big stick"! I don't know whether I should take him to the local beef sale or try to sale him to someone to use around the hobby farm. He has registration papers that are a mile long with a supposedly very good set of bloodlines. I'm not able to look at a set of papers and tell much about an animal except that they are registered. 

Don't get me wrong, this bull isn't by any standards a mean jersey bull. I just know their track record and don't want to keep a potentially unsafe critter around the place where my kids play. It just wouldn't be rational thinking to keep a Jersey bull around the place to breed five cows per year. (an angus bull maybe, a jersey bull NO)

My options at this time are: 1> LEAD POISONING VIA 30/30
2> LOTS OF HAMBURGER MEAT
3> SALE BARN

Anybody out there got any words of wisdom?


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## ozark_jewels (Oct 7, 2005)

We raise a Jersey bull about every year or two to use on all our cows. We usually get two years worth of breeding out of him, then we butcher him. It makes great burger and roasts. Some good steaks as well. There is not usually a huge market for bulls....so unless I had a buyer for him, I'd butcher him. Give a couple months on a little grain to fatten him if he isn't already rounded and put him in the freezer.


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

I was on a hunting trip once and came upon a small boy leading a scrawny calf and I asked him "what are you going to do with that animal?" His immediate response was " gonna make porkchops out of him".
My suggestion is close to that with your animal since he will bring less than 60 cents per lb (Monday's market price for bulls in NC) on the hoof. You can get some good eating from the animal with little forfeiture of money. Certainly you have will have more value to you than the money he will bring at the sale. The processor may even buy a portion of the meat if it is too much for you at one time.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

YUMMY....Jersey bull....


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## crazygoatgirl (Dec 6, 2004)

Yep I have a Holstein bull about the same situation...done his job and he is getting fat right now.....when he does I will only have to wonder where I am going to put all those packages of meat. He is not a nice boy and I worry about my kids being around him even through 6 strands of wire....


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## goose19726 (May 10, 2007)

where are you in oklahoma and how much you want for him?


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

Maddest I ever got at a critter was a jersey bull. He was only about 9 months but big, he was raised on mama and probably weighed 700 lbs. He wouldn't stay in. I chased him in, he ran around the barn and jumped the fence so I grabbed my rope, chased him in, and ran back to where he was jumping out, slapped a loop on him, dallyed on a ring on the silo, wrapped the rope around his hind legs, pushed him over, bundled him up, whipped my buck knife, and whacked off his knackers. The whole operation took less than a minute (I was hopping mad mind you).

Funny thing is how immediate the change was. I know that casteration reduces aggression, but this was instantaneous. 

My anger and aggression vanished the moment I done it 

Anyway, point is that you can still cut him if you are of a mind to.


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## Rockin'B (Jan 20, 2006)

Can you try an ad in the newspaper? Would selling to a private party generate better cash than the sale barn? 

Nothing wrong with hamburger too. I have three teenagers and we do through hamburger fast.


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## Tango (Aug 19, 2002)

Though everyone says how great jersey beef is, the market doesn't show up at press time. A jersey steer I bottle raised brought 65 cents a pound at the sale and I "no saled" him. He wouldn't have made enough for his milk replacer costs. I hear how great the beef is, but those people looking for Jersey beef are looking for cheap beef, seems like. .35 - .65 a pound on the hoof is literal b.s. The options I see are placing an ad in the local paper in case someone is looking for a Jersey bull to breed or butcher him yourself. I would be a potential buyer for a well-priced bull calf that is registered and nearby. I'm sure other homesteaders would also purchase him for their milk cow. Problem is we are scattered all over creation.


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## Donna from Mo (Jan 8, 2003)

I'd opt for "lots of hamburger meat".


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## Cat (Jun 19, 2004)

There are several groups that you could advertise him on, here at HT, a few Yahoo groups that are geared towards homesteaders or Jerseys specifically, other homesteading forums. I'd say you'd sell him as a registered bull much more quickly than you would as ground beef. If you need help finding some of these places PM me and I can give URLs. Give me time, though, working next 3 days and may not have more than a minute or two to devote online.


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## Ken Scharabok (May 11, 2002)

You might consider hauling him to the vet to be castrated, then feeding him out for 60-90 days before having him made into freezer beef.

My understanding knock on Jersey beef is the potential for yellowish fat. However, in Europe, beef with such fat sells at a premium from what I have read.

If you garden and raise sweet corn you might time butchering to when you pick the last of the sweet corn, having fed him the stalks after ears are pulled. He could also be fed trimmings and spoiled items, such as split open tomatoes.


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

At a year of age his beef will be fine. If he is well fleshed (this is a relative term as jerseys just don't beef up like other breeds) have him butchered into cuts. If not, pour the grain to him for a couple months, then get him butchered.


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## JulieLou42 (Mar 28, 2005)

My 1/2 Jersey-sired steer [3/8 Guernsey, 1/8 Angus] just harvested a couple weeks ago at 10.5 months didn't have fat that was very yellow...nursed till the end, but for a week...and his dam's milk is VERY yellow. He was about 850# and we netted about 380. [Cost us $282.52 for the processing deal.] We packaged up 90# ground leftovers in 1# packages cuz the processor only does 1.5 and 2# packages...it was really good stuff!!! [Haven't had any steaks or roasts yet as still have some left from the previous steer of two years ago. Eats just fine. It was a sirloin tip roast on the spit.]
This year's just about filled our 23cf freezer. Didn't have very much grain, but the processor said his marbling looked really good, about like he'd want it.


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## Paula (Jun 3, 2002)

Jersey beef is the best. Sweet and tender. 
Who cares if the fat is yellow, it doesn't taste any different.
I'd castrate him and butcher him when he's a suitable size.


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## Jcran (Jan 4, 2006)

JulieLou42 said:


> My 1/2 Jersey-sired steer [3/8 Guernsey, 1/8 Angus] just harvested a couple weeks ago at 10.5 months didn't have fat that was very yellow...nursed till the end, but for a week...and his dam's milk is VERY yellow. He was about 850# and we netted about 380. [Cost us $282.52 for the processing deal.] We packaged up 90# ground leftovers in 1# packages cuz the processor only does 1.5 and 2# packages...it was really good stuff!!! [Haven't had any steaks or roasts yet as still have some left from the previous steer of two years ago. Eats just fine. It was a sirloin tip roast on the spit.]
> This year's just about filled our 23cf freezer. Didn't have very much grain, but the processor said his marbling looked really good, about like he'd want it.


Holy buckets! You paid almost $300 for processing? OUCH! Anyone else out there pay that kind of dough? When we do our calves, I wonder if we could get the cuts minus the wrapping and do the "supersucking" ourselves with the sealameal thing we have, and save some money. I hadn't even thought about THAT money.


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## crazygoatgirl (Dec 6, 2004)

The last one we had processed cost us $140.


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## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

Hey goose19726, I live at Ada, OK and I'd sale him I just don't know what he's worth. 

On the issue of butcher price, I just paid $330 to get an 1100lb. show steer of my daughter's butchered. 
This lettle yearling is very well "meated" and is a picture perfect looking bull (without trying to brag on his appearance). He's definetly a good looking little bull. That's why I'd like to see him put to use for breeding before he goes to the freezer. I've got a full freezer now though. 

Thanks to all for your insight and replies.


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## Paula (Jun 3, 2002)

You could steer him and use him for next years beef if you can't find a buyer. He'd be a nice slaughter size by next fall.


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## jerzeygurl (Jan 21, 2005)

butcher ours as bulls at about 18 months to 2 years with nice tender steaks still

they wont sell at auction for beef as they have yellow fat and the stores wont carry it.


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## 65284 (Sep 17, 2003)

Hey Francis, if he is a good looking bull with a good pedigree you might think about having him collected. That way you could preserve his genetics and have semen available for your future A.I. use, and possibly sell some semen. That, in my opinion, is the best kind of Jersey bull to have around.....one that's in the can! If thats not feasible then try to sell him as a registered bull. And, as a last resort, whack his cojones off and start graining him about 2 months before you are going to need meat again.


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## ksfarmer (Apr 28, 2007)

I had an 1800 lb, 4 yr old angus with a broken leg processed into hamburger a couple of years ago. Cost around $400, got 900+ lbs of bull burger. Sold some to friends. Very good burger, nice and lean and not all fat. Still eating bullburger tho, LOL.


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## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

Heard some great news for me about my bull earlier today. While some folks may not seem this to be great, it works well for me. One of the dairys in my county needs a replacement Jersey bull to put on heifers. I'm going to deliver the bull and "loan" him out. I will come and get him for a couple of weeks when the cows start missing him and also get a couple of bottle bulls as part of the agreement. This is a great scenario for me as I don't really need to keep a bull around all the time and shouldn't have to worry about finding an intact Jersey every year.


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## ksfarmer (Apr 28, 2007)

Good. Sounds like a win-win situation for all parties.


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## 65284 (Sep 17, 2003)

ksfarmer said:


> Good. Sounds like a win-win situation for all parties.



Especially the bull....with all of the talk here about whackin' things and freezers. Sounds like he's going to bull heaven without having to die.


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## ozark_jewels (Oct 7, 2005)

Just be careful as he gets older that he doesn't get orneryer and start being resentful of being moved around.
Maybe he will be like Cookie, a Jersey bull we had several years ago. He got to the point that he would run to any trailer and ask to be loaded....he knew that trailers meant fresh pastures full of new cows.


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## DJ in WA (Jan 28, 2005)

A year and half ago, I sold a good-natured, small-framed Jersey yearling bull to a guy after I'd used him. I had sold him a Dexter, and he wanted to breed her. Anyway, just a few days ago, I was curious and called them to see if they ever got a heifer out of the deal. Spoke to his wife - she said yes, they got a heifer. Then she reluctantly mentioned that "Freddie" the bull had put her husband's dad in the hospital for a week.

Seems that Grandpa liked to mess with Freddie, and one day there was a cow nearby that Freddie wanted to get to. Anyway, Grandpa was in the wrong place, without a club. Fortunately a neighbor came running and saved him.

I had heard those stories here and elsewhere, and gave the guy lots of warnings. Told him to use him quick and eat him before he got mean and to never trust him. Instead, he kept him for 4 more months before Freddie caused the damage, then he ate him, of course.

Moral of the story is these things really do happen. Made me wonder if I should have sold him, or just butchered him.


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## ozark_jewels (Oct 7, 2005)

DJ, we ran into this to. They can turn so unexpectedly. I feel safer just butchering them now. My sister was mauled by our last bull. He wasn't even two yet. She had massive bruising but was very blessed and that was the extent of the damage he did before my brother got him off her. Everyone cheered when the butcher got that bull!


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## jerzeygurl (Jan 21, 2005)

i sat on a tractor in the rain for over an hour while dh and kids watched a movie, all because i forgot to take a club with me.... :flame: never again....


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## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

I sold my last year's bull to a dairy who was informed "He's Mean". They replied, "We know what to do with a mean Jersey bull". They put him into the chute and put a ring in his nose and several in his poll. The nickname "Bling-Bling" became very appropriate with all his new jewelry. After the third time they had to go literally one mile through a pasture to retrieve there roundbale feeders made out of heavy oilfield drill pipe they decided they'd met their match and sold him. He would plow anything in front of him around the pasture (including fences and implements).


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

We have a friend, a dairy farmer, who recently got badly beaten by a young bull. He was giving shot to the heifers and the bull took objection to it. He had to go to the hospital, CAT scan and the works. Broken ribs, concussion but he's alive. Not happy though. Cull time.


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