Bull Management
Purchase
Source: dpi.nsw.gov.au
Bringing your new bull home When you buy a new bull or bulls for your herd, you can reduce problems by getting them home and settling them in properly. Bulls of all breeds can become upset and excited during the sale and delivery process. They are subjected to strange yards, different noises, loss of their mates, different people, different handling methods, trucking, unloading, new paddocks and different
water and feed. This combination is often enough to upset even quiet animals. New bull buyers are often concerned about the apparent bad temperament of a bull that seemed quiet enough when bought. Understanding why bulls become upset, and organizing to reduce stress, allows them to settle down quickly.
Delivery
38th Annual Production Sale President’s Day Monday, February 20, 2023
SELLING 65 REGISTERED COMING 2-YEAR-OLD BULLS Registered Black Angus
PAP testing since 1991 at an elevation of 7500’ BVD, Fertility, PAP, Trich tested & Carcass Ultrasounded.
Featuring Sons of These & Other Weaver Ranch Sires Name Circle L Gus GDAR Heisman 1705 TC Thunder 805 Weavers Final Answer 3100
Birth Wt. CED 76# 65# 76# 75#
+13 +16 +12 +10
BW WW
YW Milk PAP $EN IMF
REA Fat
-1.1 -3.0 -1.6 -2.3
+104 +90 +77 +63
+.63 +.41 +.36 +.09
+61 +49 +39 +30
+19 +18 +23 +23
38 +12 +.20 NA -11 +.52 NA +11 +.59 39 +5 +.41
Over 63 years of selecting for
Temperament is a major characteristic to check when you buy bulls. Inspect the bulls in the yards or pastures before sale and note any unusual behavior or activity. Note which bulls continually push to the center of a mob, run around, or are unreasonably nervous, aggressive or excited. At the sale, note any changes of temperament by individual bulls. Some bulls that are quiet in the yard or paddock may not like the pressure and noise of the auction and become excited. Others that were excited beforehand get much worse in the sale ring and can really perform. Using the yard or paddock behavior as a guide, rather than the temperament shown in the ring, you can often buy such bulls cheaper, provided they are satisfactory in other respects.
+.078 +.027 +.004 +.023
Easy Calving, Carcass Quality & Disposition
At auction sales, possession is yours after the fall of the hammer. Continued careful treatment of animals is important. Insurance against loss in transit, accidental loss of use, or infertility, is sometimes provided by vendors. Where it is not, it is worth considering. When you buy a bull, ask what health treatments he has received. Knowing what has been done can reduce any health treatments. If you take the bull home yourself: ЇЇ Treat and handle him quietly at all times - no dogs, no buzzers. Give him time and room to make up his mind. ЇЇ With more than one bull from different origins, you must be able to separate them on the truck. ЇЇ Make sure that the truck floor is covered to prevent bulls from slipping. Sand, sawdust or a floor grid will prevent bulls from being damaged by going down in transit. ЇЇ If you can arrange it, put a few quiet cows or steers on the truck with the bull. Let them down into a yard with the bulls for a while before loading and after unloading. ЇЇ Unload and reload during the trip as little as possible. If necessary, rest with water and feed. Treat bulls kindly— your impatience or nervousness is easily transmitted to an animal unfamiliar to you and unsure of his environment. If you use a professional carrier: ЇЇ Make sure the carrier knows which bulls can be mixed together. continued on page 28 >>
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FEBRUARY 2023