young bull..what to feed?

vanderbadger

have a young CH bull out of roundhill doc, first time Ive bred a bull myself and wondering whats the best thing to feed him over the winter. I normally would give bulk beef nuts to any other cattle i keep on, are beef nuts the thing for a pedigree animal, ive heard that beef nut can give younger cattle a gut..was thinking of mixing beef nut with some type of crunch, would this be a better mix or what do other lads do?

vanderbadger

bump

flatout11

vanderbadger wrote: »

have a young CH bull out of roundhill doc, first time Ive bred a bull myself and wondering whats the best thing to feed him over the winter. I normally would give bulk beef nuts to any other cattle i keep on, are beef nuts the thing for a pedigree animal, ive heard that beef nut can give younger cattle a gut..was thinking of mixing beef nut with some type of crunch, would this be a better mix or what do other lads do?

when you planning on selling him?
are you finishing any other stock on the farm???

vanderbadger

flatout11 wrote: »

when you planning on selling him?
are you finishing any other stock on the farm???

he isnt a year till Nov so I suppose next spring sometime, I hope to sell him as a breeding bull flatout

redzerologhlen

Have you heard of showbiz turbo, Dont know much about it but thats what a lot of the lads showing cattle do be feeding. Havnt a clue where to get it either.

vanderbadger

redzerologhlen wrote: »

Have you heard of showbiz turbo, Dont know much about it but thats what a lot of the lads showing cattle do be feeding. Havnt a clue where to get it either.

ya heard of it, i think its very dear stuff though

redzerologhlen

vanderbadger wrote: »

ya heard of it, i think its very dear stuff though

I suppose its a case of you get what you pay for.....

vanderbadger

redzerologhlen wrote: »

I suppose its a case of you get what you pay for.....

could be although i think it just for the last few weeks before showing etc..it must be very rich stuff, i seem to remember a thread here with lads trying to figure out the exact ingredients of the stuff

Muckit

I was in the same predicament last year. I found the main problem was trying to get him to get the stuff! Or to eat enough of it (showbiz turbo). A lad at the shows told me that it's better if you have more than one to feed in the pen together. One will encourage the other to eat IYKWIM.

To be honest I wasn't overly impressed with the stuff. He liked the ordinary bull nut better!

It's still a learning curve for me!

PS. Yes I know he could have been done better, but my first out! (15mth old)

reilig

Muckit wrote: »

I was in the same predicament last year. I found the main problem was trying to get him to get the stuff! Or to eat enough of it (showbiz turbo). A lad at the shows told me that it's better if you have more than one to feed in the pen together. One will encourage the other to eat IYKWIM.

To be honest I wasn't overly impressed with the stuff. He liked the ordinary bull nut better!

It's still a learning curve for me!

PS. Yes I know he could have been done better, but my first out! (15mth old)

Mine didn't like the Turbo last year either. At 8 weeks before the sale, its not a good time for him to not eat meal. I mixed the Golden Thrive (pattons) with it. Its what he had been on since a calf. Have a couple of neighbours who sell a lot of bulls and they feed Golden Thrive from start to finish and they're getting prizes and top prices.

vanderbadger

Muckit wrote: »

I was in the same predicament last year. I found the main problem was trying to get him to get the stuff! Or to eat enough of it (showbiz turbo). A lad at the shows told me that it's better if you have more than one to feed in the pen together. One will encourage the other to eat IYKWIM.

To be honest I wasn't overly impressed with the stuff. He liked the ordinary bull nut better!

It's still a learning curve for me!

PS. Yes I know he could have been done better, but my first out! (15mth old)

nice shot, looks good, great job on cleaning him, whats his breeding

Bizzum

Nice looking bull Muckit. Handler a bit nondescript though:)

Re: Feeding bulls. I think a lot of buyers are getting fed up of looking at pumped up bulls.
All I ever fed was whatever good brand of ration was available locally.
P&V Bull Nuts were a favourite of mine!

snowman707

we sell a couple of bulls per year, and we don't over feed them ,

we use red mills

http://www.redmills.ie/ie/agri/products/product/?id=554&parent=84


remember if pushing a bull (which I don't agree with but that's for another day) that an adequate palatable source of fibre is very important

pakalasa

Muckit,
Is that you in the trailer. Interpol still looking for you.............:D

vanderbadger

i suppose there is a big difference in what lads consider overfeeding and pushing..I bought a bull early this year, smashing animal..he has really suffered this season though, id say he was practically on ad lib meal. he will need the winter to recover i reckon. the breeder was killed telling me theydont over push :rolleyes:
a previous bull I bought the breeder told me he gave me 2 x small suaspan of beef nut and 2 x suaspan of crunch mixed together morning and evening..Id say it was a good half a bucket every morning and evening. the animal was well able for this and wasnt leaving anything in trough so I thought at the time this was about right?

Muckit

vanderbadger wrote: »

nice shot, looks good, great job on cleaning him, whats his breeding

He out of a Blakestown dam by Bova sylvain. Sire was Blakestown Aster (2008 beef expo champion)

Muckit

pakalasa wrote: »

Muckit,
Is that you in the trailer. Interpol still looking for you.............:D

Tis me alright I didn't have a trailer with a ramp at the time so I borrowed that trailer off a friend. He has a few horses, the trailer is 7' not 6' high (note the brackets for the centre division on the roof), in case you think me or the bull look small!!!

vanderbadger

Muckit wrote: »

He out of a Blakestown dam by Bova sylvain. Sire was Blakestown Aster (2008 beef expo champion)

did you sell him Muck?

Muckit

Yes Bull was sold Feb 2010. Don't ask what I got for him cos I ain't telling ya !

RE: feeding. Ya I thought myself that he looked good without being overdone, but then when went into the judging ring with others his age that looked like elephants, he stood out . I was kind of conscious of it, especially being first time out.

I too would be against the whole overfeeding thing, but I don't know if I'd agree that buyers don't like to see it anymore. Most lads think the bigger the bull, the better he must be. Functionality, good bone etc play second fiddle. Pity.

I'm thinking I might try selling out of the shed and avoid all the work with cleaning, walking and overfeeding etc. I guess then you've the 'tirekickers' to contend with :rolleyes: .... and they in around your yard!

Must try some of the other feeds this year mentioned on here

vanderbadger

Muckit wrote: »

Yes Bull was sold Feb 2010. Don't ask what I got for him cos I ain't telling ya !

RE: feeding. Ya I thought myself that he looked good without being overdone, but then when went into the judging ring with others his age that looked like elephants, he stood out . I was kind of conscious of it, especially being first time out.

I too would be against the whole overfeeding thing, but I don't know if I'd agree that buyers don't like to see it anymore. Most lads think the bigger the bull, the better he must be. Functionality, good bone etc play second fiddle. Pity.

I'm thinking I might try selling out of the shed and avoid all the work with cleaning, walking and overfeeding etc. I guess then you've the 'tirekickers' to contend with :rolleyes: .... and they in around your yard!

Must try some of the other feeds this year mentioned on here

well nice to have one sold all the same, ive never even halter trained an animal so fun times ahead :rolleyes:

Muckit

vanderbadger wrote: »

well nice to have one sold all the same, ive never even halter trained an animal so fun times ahead :rolleyes:

Well that was my first time also. I was lucky that he was fairly docile to start. Put him in the crush and stuck halter on him. It's good to just get him used to the halter for a few evenings. Started combing him in the crush. They like being combed.

Eventually worked up to opening crush and tying him to a gate post outside. Did this again for a few evenings. Then started combing him while tied to the post (learn, if you don't know already, how to make a quick release knot). Once you've done this for a while, you're alot of the work done. Little and often, rather than spending hours with him one day and forgetting about him for a few weeks!

pakalasa

Just wondering what people think about breeding a purebred bull for their own use. You're quaranteed to know the breeding, don't have to halter train and don't have to push with the feed. You'd have a well fit bull that would get to work straight away. No messing.

Bizzum

pakalasa wrote: »

Just wondering what people think about breeding a purebred bull for their own use. You're quaranteed to know the breeding, don't have to halter train and don't have to push with the feed. You'd have a well fit bull that would get to work straight away. No messing.

That's what I do.
Our last bull was by Enfield Newlook, out of a very good Brampton cow. He is gone a few mths now and we have a yearling bull ready and waiting. He is by Alcazar out of a Sylvain cow. He ran along with the commercial calves all year and is getting a few lbs of crunch now with the bull weanlings. I must take a pic of him.

Bizzum

To follow on from the prevoius post, here is a pic I took today: Ten Mth old CH bull by AZA. We are hoping he will do the business for us from next may. Probably send an odd cow his way over the winter too!

weefarmer

I've seen a man that trains his young bulls for the halter with a donkey, tie them both together and try as the bull might he will not budge her. It soon trains them to follow you anyway!

Bizzum

weefarmer wrote: »

I've seen a man that trains his young bulls for the halter with a donkey, tie them both together and try as the bull might he will not budge her. It soon trains them to follow you anyway!

I wonder could you train a Donkey with a Bull?

vanderbadger

Bizzum wrote: »

To follow on from the prevoius post, here is a pic I took today: Ten Mth old CH bull by AZA. We are hoping he will do the business for us from next may. Probably send an odd cow his way over the winter too!

he is a fair strong looking animal for 10mths Bizzum

Muckit

Bizzum wrote: »

Ten Mth old CH bull by AZA.

God he's a nice big animal alright for 10mths! Best of luck with him.

Have you a pic of him on the cow?

Bizzum

Muckit wrote: »

God he's a nice big animal alright for 10mths! Best of luck with him.

Have you a pic of him on the cow?

I don't think I have a pic of him on the cow. He's weaned now and away from her. The cow is by Bova Sylvain, not the best looking cow in the world but a good breeding cow, her first calf was to a BB (AI man misread the straw!) and he was a smasher. This lad is her second calf. She is carrying to Fury Action (I think!) now.

He is a nice enough bull but you can see he wasn't pushed, I always notice a huge thrive in the pedigree calves from 11 to 14 mths, so he should be a good strong bull in the spring.

Muckit

Bizzum wrote: »

I don't think I have a pic of him on the cow. He's weaned now and away from her. The cow is by Bova Sylvain, not the best looking cow in the world but a good breeding cow, her first calf was to a BB (AI man misread the straw!) and he was a smasher. This lad is her second calf. She is carrying to Fury Action (I think!) now.

He is a nice enough bull but you can see he wasn't pushed, I always notice a huge thrive in the pedigree calves from 11 to 14 mths, so he should be a good strong bull in the spring.

It works well I'd say when you've the pedigree cow calving and AI'ing inside. At least then they are safely in calf when they go out with the stock bull and commercial cows in spring.

How will you winter him now? Outside? What'I you give him?

24_7

He's looks the part alright. What are you feeding him at the minute. Is he still at grass.
Seen a boy halter training a bull with a 12ton track machine. Tied the bull to the bucket and and spun around in circles (slowly). Says he was used to it after a couple of days.

Bizzum

Muckit wrote: »

It works well I'd say when you've the pedigree cow calving and AI'ing inside. At least then they are safely in calf when they go out with the stock bull and commercial cows in spring.

How will you winter him now? Outside? What'I you give him?

We would never take the chance and graze the few PB CH cows with the bull, you just never know when one would slip and come bulling again. They generally run with heifers or first calvers or the like that we would AI rather than bull with a CH.

He will be wintered outside in a 3/4 acre paddock and get silage and crunch, nothing the others wouldn't get. The ammount he will get will be judged on how he is looking ie. enough just to keep him thriving but not put up excessive condition, which is unlikely outside anyway!