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Check weighed bulls.

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Denny

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We check weigh our bull calves yesterday 30 days since weaning.

We have switched our whole feeding system over this year were feeding free choice hay,free choice lick barrel,salt block and free choice 14% protein pellets. There are 34 bulls in the pen and ADG was 4.81#s per day top bulls gained 195 pounds in 30 days did have one that only gained 85 #s he is in line for a knife. Other wise the rest varied from 3.5#s per day to 6.5#s day gain.

I went on the south dakota angus tour and most everyplace we stopped these outfits were on this feeding system the cattle looked really impressive which has me trying it. The Feed salesman said they should average 4#s a day post weaning they did that and then some.The oldest bull calf in the pen was born on april 11th we calve later now and figured a whole change in direction was needed looks to me like the change was for the better. This is also a low starch high protein diet to insure sound fertile bulls. But holy smokes do they eat.
 
Denny said:
We check weigh our bull calves yesterday 30 days since weaning.

We have switched our whole feeding system over this year were feeding free choice hay,free choice lick barrel,salt block and free choice 14% protein pellets. There are 34 bulls in the pen and ADG was 4.81#s per day top bulls gained 195 pounds in 30 days did have one that only gained 85 #s he is in line for a knife. Other wise the rest varied from 3.5#s per day to 6.5#s day gain.

I went on the south dakota angus tour and most everyplace we stopped these outfits were on this feeding system the cattle looked really impressive which has me trying it. The Feed salesman said they should average 4#s a day post weaning they did that and then some.The oldest bull calf in the pen was born on april 11th we calve later now and figured a whole change in direction was needed looks to me like the change was for the better. This is also a low starch high protein diet to insure sound fertile bulls. But holy smokes do they eat.
Click to expand...
as a cow calf man I fear those heavy eaters will fall apart when working. Do you think that's the case?
 
4Diamond said:
Denny said:
We check weigh our bull calves yesterday 30 days since weaning.

We have switched our whole feeding system over this year were feeding free choice hay,free choice lick barrel,salt block and free choice 14% protein pellets. There are 34 bulls in the pen and ADG was 4.81#s per day top bulls gained 195 pounds in 30 days did have one that only gained 85 #s he is in line for a knife. Other wise the rest varied from 3.5#s per day to 6.5#s day gain.

I went on the south dakota angus tour and most everyplace we stopped these outfits were on this feeding system the cattle looked really impressive which has me trying it. The Feed salesman said they should average 4#s a day post weaning they did that and then some.The oldest bull calf in the pen was born on april 11th we calve later now and figured a whole change in direction was needed looks to me like the change was for the better. This is also a low starch high protein diet to insure sound fertile bulls. But holy smokes do they eat.
Click to expand...
as a cow calf man I fear those heavy eaters will fall apart when working. Do you think that's the case?
Click to expand...

I don't think so as this program is a low startch diet.The program is 2 months of this type of feed then we will go to a silage base tmr ration. My experiance with selling bulls is everyone wants a hard mean and lean bull until you offer up a pen of them then you can't sell them.I look at it this way we fed them hard got the proof they will gain and then back them off some to keep them sound.

I've tried the Kit Pharo way for 6 sales that does'nt work period sure I sell bulls for the price of a steer. My customers are pleased hell they have sold bulls for over $3000 to kill that they paid $1500 for plus they bred cows for 3 or 4 seasons.
 
VB RANCH said:
how many of them pellets do
they eat, to gain like that ?
Click to expand...

Average was 16.8 #s per head per day so basically 17#s x 17cents a pound $2.89 per head per day plus hay 34 cents per day worth of hay the lick barrel / mineral was $140.00 for 200#s looks like it will last 2 months 9.8 cents per day per head and a white salt block + $3.33 per head per day this last month
 
I agree that kind of gain can be had. We knew a fellow over at Billings that did it year after year. The bulls were clean behind as well, that's usually a good indication that the feed isn't too hot and the bulls won't get greasy fat
Good for you, Denny. You'll have to share some photos of them as they
go along.
 
We are feeding our bulls similar to your program. Our bulls are Feb Mar born
and they were gaining over 4.5 lbs the first 30 days also. Just curious on your pellets. Ours are a screening pellet with 25% barley mineral package and rumensin. Cost is 9 cents a lb delivered.
 
Extremely low levels of energy (starch) intake early in the life of a young bull delays the onset of puberty. Feeding excess energy may reduce both semen quality and serving capacity. This is thought to be due to excess fat deposition in the scrotum, insulating the testes and increasing testicular temperature.
Click to expand...

Developing bulls properly is no small feat. We have tried every combination of feed possible over the last 50 years at the Auburn Bull Test. Too little carbohydrates, not good, too much, not good. One of the best years ever the bulls were fed a 100% diet of free choice ground oat hay w/molasses.

But at the end of every test, the fattest bulls sold for the most money.

Good luck Denny. Hope it works well for you.
 
[email protected] said:
We are feeding our bulls similar to your program. Our bulls are Feb Mar born
and they were gaining over 4.5 lbs the first 30 days also. Just curious on your pellets. Ours are a screening pellet with 25% barley mineral package and rumensin. Cost is 9 cents a lb delivered.
Click to expand...

Hey Cecil,Where are you getting your pellets?
 
Well we check weighed bulls again yesterday they backed off a little to 4.27 adg. Top bull gained 5.5#s per day bottom got a bit bloated a week or so ago and he gained 2.5#s thru the month. Heaviest bull is a Chisum son born 4/23/14 weighed 990#s yesterday.

Looks like we'll be selling them at a Bull Days Type of deal in Mandan ND on May 9th they should weigh between 1200 and 1500#s by then.







Not the best photos its gotton colder here so they are cleaning up some these were taken a week or so ago.
 
Good looking bulls. Where are you located in MN? I've been here in Rochester since October and haven't seen hardly any cattle we were told to drive east of Rochester and would see more cattle.
 

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