1 bull : 50 cows?

[Orkneyboy]

Can 1 fit, fertility tested bull successfully serve 50 cows in 3 months?

 

[Poorbuthappy]

Yes.
A relative runs 1 bull with 50 cows. His first bull lasted him 10 years, as did his 2nd. But he's been through several in the last 10 years. Bit of luck attached to it I guess.
And calving pattern probably going to be more spread out than lower ratio.

 

[Gulli]

Not if they all come bulling on the same couple of days

But in reality he should be able to, calving will be more spread out than smaller ratios

 

[BobbySusie]

Would he be able to pick cows in heat and Ai them. Take pressure off the bull

 

[milkloss]

If they’re tight (could use better terminology, let’s say spatially grouped together!) then you stand a good chance of getting away with it. We run more than one because it can be a trek in the summer to get to the other side of the ditch for that one horny cow!

 

[Orkneyboy]

I should say that the bull in question will just be running free with all 50 cows outside from 20th May to 20th August. In fields averaging 17 acres.
AI is not an option.

 

[le bon paysan]

I will let you know next year.

 

[M-J-G]

3 months isn't that tight a calving so it shouldn't be a problem.

 

[Princess Pooper]

Would he be able to pick cows in heat and Ai them. Take pressure off the bull

unless you separate them out for 24 hours it won't stop him jumping them!

 

[Princess Pooper]

I would say yes you should be OK within a 3 month spread. And the bull knows how to do his job (I know you said he's fertile but does he know what to do!!)

I would also add..... you might panic a bit because I know our bull can be incredibly discrete and we worry sometimes he's retired himself (we've used him for 9 years now), as we see minimal signs of activity sometimes, but sure enough when we PD them they are in calf.

 

[Pan mixer]

Unnecessarily risky I say, any blanks fired by the old boy would cost a lot in terms of missing calves next time.

 

[Wooly]

Can 1 fit, fertility tested bull successfully serve 50 cows in 3 months?

Yes, we did it one bull to 60 a few years back due to an unforseen circumstance. Tightest calving pattern we had. The difference is the bull serves them a couple of times and moves on, instead of half a dozen times while he waits for the next cow on heat.

One bull serving 50 cows over 90 days is hardly stretching it. Nearly one every other day. I reckon I could easily manage that if it was 50 women............. although the nagging from 50 females might be to much !!

 

[Werzle]

Tough on a young bull, i put a new young one in with 20 hfrs and on one very hot day he almost turned his toes up with 4 on bulling, i shut him in the shade with one for 24hrs to cool down and have a breather. Always handy to have a spare bull rather than spoil an over worked or lame bull

 

[JSmith]

Like woolly said, had a bull do his hock in this time ten days after being with cows, new bull turned up ten days later an everything was mad bulling, old bull with hurt leg had fetched them al on, new bull came off the lorry ran across the field an jumped into the cows, served three in ten mins, bet he served twenty plus cows that first week! Must of thought he’d come to paradise, lucky boy him

 

[Agrivator]

Yes, we did it one bull to 60 a few years back due to an unforseen circumstance. Tightest calving pattern we had. The difference is the bull serves them a couple of times and moves on, instead of half a dozen times while he waits for the next cow on heat.

One bull serving 50 cows over 90 days is hardly stretching it. Nearly one every other day. I reckon I could easily manage that if it was 50 women............. although the nagging from 50 females might be to much !!

or the disappointments.....................

But your comments about the bull moving on after serving a cow once or twice is very valid. He can serve far more cows than the one that chases the same cow all day.

 

[M-J-G]

Yes, we did it one bull to 60 a few years back due to an unforseen circumstance. Tightest calving pattern we had. The difference is the bull serves them a couple of times and moves on, instead of half a dozen times while he waits for the next cow on heat.

One bull serving 50 cows over 90 days is hardly stretching it. Nearly one every other day. I reckon I could easily manage that if it was 50 women............. although the nagging from 50 females might be to much !!

1 every other day in theory, but cows rarely space themselves out like that.

70% of cows should be calving in the first cycle, that's fairly steady going, and that could mean no cows for 3 days and then 6 cows a day for 2 days.

 

[Smith31]

Unnecessarily risky I say, any blanks fired by the old boy would cost a lot in terms of missing calves next time.

This is a business mans thinking opposed to a farmers thinking, why take the risk?

 

[M-J-G]

This is a business mans thinking opposed to a farmers thinking, why take the risk?

The bull has been fertility checked.

You could run them with 25 each, but twice as many bulls is twice the risk.

 

[Smith31]

The bull has been fertility checked.

You could run them with 25 each, but twice as many bulls is twice the risk.

You're correct but from experience always good to have a back up

 

[Spartacus]

We run one with 40 atm, a good while ago we would have ran one with 50+, leaves a spread out calving but most were back in calf.