NOBBY THE BULL - NEW ARRIVAL IN THE HERD

tim z · Post by **tim z** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 10:45 pm

HAVE COLLECTED A 27 MONTH OLD SHORT LEGGED BULL ON SUNDAY AND PUT HIM IN MY BACK FIELD,ON ADVICE PUT OUR 17 MONTH OLD HEIFFER IN WITH HIM TO KEEP HIM COMPANY.
THIS MORNING I PUT MY 2 COWS IN WITH THEM(ONE HAS A TWO MONTH OLD HEIFFER AND THE OTHER A SIX MONTH OLD HEIFFER) I SEPARATED THEM THIS MORNING BUT PUT THE YOUNGEST ONE IN WITH THEM TO FEED FROM MUM TONIGHT,IS IT ALL RIGHT TO LEAVE HER IN WITH THEM AND THE BULL?THE OLDER CALF I HAVE KEPT SEPARATE WITH MY TWO STEERS SHE HAS BEEN GRAZING AND EATING CALF NUTS FOR SOME TIME APART FROM THE NOISE IS IT OK TO KEEP HER APART, TOTALLY SEPARATE THEM TO WEAN HER?

Duncan MacIntyre · Post by **Duncan MacIntyre** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 12:20 am

The six month old heifer should be able to be weaned now but make it a complete break, do not have her going back and forward to her mother. The calf who is two months old should be safe enough to be with the bull for two cycles of the cow, so the cow should be in calf before you are having to get the heifer calf away from the bull. But at that stage the heifer will be only 4 and a half months old so a bit too young to wean.

Duncan

tim z · Post by **tim z** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 12:27 pm

duncan,thanks for the advice timz

tim z · Post by **tim z** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 2:31 pm

NOBBY HAS BEEN IN WITH THE GIRLS FOR 15 DAYS NOW,THE HEIFFER HAS COME BULLING AND ALTHOUGH I HAVE NOT SEEN THEM MATING (ITS DARK WHEN I LEAVE FOR WORK AND DARK WHEN I COME HOME) LAST NIGHT I NOTICED THAT BOTH HER FLANKS WERE COVERED IN MUD ASTHOUGH SHE HAS BEEN MOUNTED ,NO SIGN OF THE OTHER TWO MATING YET.I HAVE BEEN WARNED THAT A HEIFFER AS YOUNG AS 3 MONTHS HAS IN THE PAST CONCEIVED DO YOU STILL THINK ITS SAFE TO LET THE 3 MONTH OLD CALF STAY WITH HER MUM OR WOULD IT BE BETTER TO TAKE THE TWO OF THEM AWAY FROM THE BULL?//////////////////////////////////////////////////////
THANKS TIMZ

Inger · Post by **Inger** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 11:57 pm

I haven't known a 3 month old heifer be mounted by our adult bulls. The size difference would be against a sucessful mating. Her mother should cycle soon and then you'll be able to remove them. Just keep an eye on her behavior with the 6 mth heifer. If, 3 weeks after being mated, she starts mounting the 6 mth old, it means she is cycling again and you'll need to put her back in with the bull. You could leave her calf with the other calf for the two days she would need to spend with the bull, if you were worried about the calf's age. They could be reunited after the cow was mated again.

But as I've said, I haven't had any problems with adult bulls paying attention to the calves. Its the little bull calves you've got to watch.