Castrating Bulls for beef

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 8:12 am

I've got an 18 months old bull which I kept because he seems to be a bit special to me. Small, stocky non-chondro, lots of Woodmagic in him. However, what with reg costs and the hassle of selling livestock and relatively low prices , I'm thinking of beefing him instead, but not as a bull.

So my question is: Has anyone ever steered a bull at 18 months and then run them on to say 26-27 months for beef. And was the beef good?

He has never been used and is in excellent condition, i.e. carrying good weight and fat.

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Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 8:21 am

Here's a rubbish photo of him:

Duncan MacIntyre · Post by **Duncan MacIntyre** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 10:45 am

I often leave bulls to 1 yr before castrating and sometimes it has been quite a bit longer. I have also killed a couple of entire bulls, and I think I would prefer the meat from the castrated ones, and it is easier to have adequate fat cover when finishing steers off grass than bulls. Being a vet myself of course makes it easier to comply with law on castrating calves over 2 months old. And I don't usually send myself a bill.

Duncan

Louisa Gidney · Post by **Louisa Gidney** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 11:30 am

If that was one of my boys, he'd be going in the freezer now as an entire.

Woodmagic · Post by **Woodmagic** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 4:46 pm

If his dam is good enough I would hope somebody might want to purchase him for a stock bull, small bulls are scarce and his appearance leaves everything to recommend him.
Beryl. (Woodmagic)

Inger · Post by **Inger** » Sat Mar 28, 2009 12:03 pm

We've had a bull castrated at well over a year, by the vet and later sold him as a 2 year old at the sales yards. We didn't eat him ourselves. He was only partially entire because I didn't ring him correctly as a calf (one of my first efforts) and the vet had to complete the job after it became obvious that he was still acting bull-like. I'm a lot more careful about ringing bull calves now.

oakwell · Post by **oakwell** » Sat Mar 28, 2009 9:23 pm

Hi Clive
what price would you put on this beast as he his now,and have you tried to work him?

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Sat Mar 28, 2009 9:39 pm

No he has never worked. If he was castrated and left to run on as a steer, he would fetch about £1300-1400 in beef less costs of about £200 plus feeding for the next 10 months.

oakwell · Post by **oakwell** » Sat Mar 28, 2009 10:01 pm

Clive I believe that the true price of anything is what someone is willing to give you in the hand
Today I sold a complete bull at auction (Selby )a fit 18 month old red birt h notified and only made £355 I can understand now why your going unregistered.

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 7:45 am

Precisely, the true price is what people will pay for him, and that's beef, and it is far more than probably anyone would be willing to pay as a live animal and you do not have all the hassle of selling either. That's dexterdom for you!!! It makes no sense at all and why the fees are so destructive because you have to add those as well to your costs making it a non-starter and, yes, that's largely why we now do not register any longer, except in our own herd book.

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Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 7:59 am

PS. At our local market this week Oakwell, cull ewes topped at £132 and hogget lamb were going for over £90 each! That's over £2 a kilo liveweight. Calves were being sold almost for what you sold your bull for, and heifers were fetching £2000 and more. When selling non-breeding livestock, we have had no problem in getting beef prices by the way (roughly £1.70 a kilo liveweight) but only for non-shorts.

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