# how young can a bull breed



## farmgirl6 (May 20, 2011)

I have a little miniature bull I bought, he was born in February and is 1/2 zebu, 1/4 lowline and 1/4 scottish highland. I got him to breed my dwarf dexter and small jersey/dexter cross heifer who I have had no luck with using a.i. he seemed to be trying to breed my dexter when she came into heat a week ago, but don't know if he is big enough or old enough to breed...any idea when he might be of breeding age? I know Zebus mature late..thoughts?


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## Jennifer L. (May 10, 2002)

I've had my Holstein or Holstein cross bulls start to breed at 10 months, but they aren't 100% yet. In another two months they are good to go if they can reach the cow.


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## Oakshire_Farm (Dec 4, 2008)

I had a 6 month old Dexter manage to get a 8 month old Jersey settled....... I know keep heifers at my father-in-laws!


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

The absolute soonest confirmed breedings I know of were 5 month old dairy bulls.
Several times. Different bulls and different cows each time.

I am so excited to see your homegrown mini cross calves, it isn't really rational. :teehee: .


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## genebo (Sep 12, 2004)

I sold a young Dexter bull at 5 months old, younger than I want to sell them, but the lady was in a hurry.

I delivered him and we arrived at the same time her new cow/calf pair arrived. The 3 of them were turned out together. The young bull went to the cow, nursed a bit, then bred her.

9 months later, she delivered a healthy heifer.

This 5 month old bull beat his daddy by 2 months. Brenn bred a small dairy herd when he was 7 months old.


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## opportunity (Mar 31, 2012)

I know they can by 6 months had my heifers breed by their half brothers before everyone came off summer pasture. I usually try to wait untill they are 11-12 months old. I started using my highland at 12 months he did his job by 13 months.


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## Laura Workman (May 10, 2002)

opportunity said:


> I know they can by 6 months had my heifers breed by their half brothers before everyone came off summer pasture. I usually try to wait untill they are 11-12 months old. I started using my highland at 12 months he did his job by 13 months.


I'm curious why you would prefer to wait to use a bull if he seemed ready to do the job and you had cows you wanted bred.


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## opportunity (Mar 31, 2012)

Laura Workman said:


> I'm curious why you would prefer to wait to use a bull if he seemed ready to do the job and you had cows you wanted bred.


I didn't want the babies to come until later in the year it was ok to wait I don't like to have babies in the muddy weather when it goes form freezing to warm each day it's harder on them.


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## arnie (Apr 26, 2012)

i'v heard several tails that if a bull is used at to young an age it will stunt his growth wheather its true or not. we used our angus herford cross bull at 10 months and got calves' my big brown swiss milk cow had to be moved down hill for him to reach he continued to grow till he was sold at 5 years old because of fighting with a neabours bull and staying on the wrong side of the fence though he was gentile as a puppy and I could lead him home with a bucket of grain I was afraid of problems and sold him yet my neabour harvested such a great crop of black baldy calves he sold his charlai bull also and switched to the smaller blocky type of also . dairy bulls have even more of a reputation for early breeding


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## 65284 (Sep 17, 2003)

To answer your original question. Bulls are supposed to be fertile when or soon after the testicles descend into the scrotum


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