Bull Ration Question?

[Bulldogg]

Can someone please recommend a ration for feeding young bulls? I have a couple January Bulls that I would like to feed so they will be ready to breed next year. They are in a lot with a little grass, plenty of water, mineral block, and round bale hay. I am also feeding cracked corn with a little protein. Thanks!

 

[DL]

Can someone please recommend a ration for feeding young bulls? I have a couple January Bulls that I would like to feed so they will be ready to breed next year. They are in a lot with a little grass, plenty of water, mineral block, and round bale hay. I am also feeding cracked corn with a little protein. Thanks!

Bulldog  (welcome)
Too late and too hot for serious thought but I am sure someone will have words of wisdom soon - tell us breed? BCS? weight? what kind of mineral block? where are you (generally not your gps location), what kind of hay etc. again  (welcome)

 

[pigguy]

heres a few show bull rations. but you can cut cut out the alflfa pelets, and protein pellets, and mineral since yo uar ealready feeding all that

Heifer and bull ration #1
Feed % by Weight*
Crimped oats 61.0
Cracked or rolled corn 25.0
Dehydrated alfalfa pellets 9.0
Protein Pellets (32%) 5.0
Salt/Mineral .6
Additives .4

Heifer and bull ration #2
Feed % by Weight*
Crimped oats 48.0
Rolled or crimped barley 41.0
Protein pellets (32%) 10.0
Salt/Mineral .6
Additives .4

Bull ration #4
For the bull that is too thin.
Feed % by Weight*
Crimped oats 50.0
Cracked or rolled 35.0
Protein Pellets (32%) 14.0
Salt/Mineral .6
Feed additives .4

Bull ration #5
Feed % by Weight*
Barley 42.0
Crimped Oats 42.0
Dehydrated alfalfa pellets 5.0
Protein pellets 9.0
Salt/Mineral .6
Additives .4

 

[shortyjock89]

Well, I can tell you what works for me.  

2 scoops Cattle Blaster feed from Umbarger's

1/2 scoop of Barley

3/4 scoop of Beet Pulp (we feed it dry, but wet might work too)

We have been getting over 4lbs ADG since april with this ration.  It's not a ration to get them fat fast, but it will grow them really well.  

 

[pigguy]

Well, I can tell you what works for me.  

2 scoops Cattle Blaster feed from Umbarger's

1/2 scoop of Barley

3/4 scoop of Beet Pulp (we feed it dry, but wet might work too)

We have been getting over 4lbs ADG since april with this ration.  It's not a ration to get them fat fast, but it will grow them really well.  

what your you feeding this ration to?? heifers, steers. can you get them finished on that ration??

 

[OH Breeder]

An old timer that collected my bull for me said the key to good bull reproductive health is not to feed them to much corn and get them too fat. He said that the hotter the feed would raise the internal temperature of the bull it also would promote fat deposits in places you don't want them. I fed my bull a grower ration with higher oats than corn. About a 60% corn 40% oat ration. That is my little tid bit.

 

[shortyjock89]

Well, I can tell you what works for me.  

2 scoops Cattle Blaster feed from Umbarger's

1/2 scoop of Barley

3/4 scoop of Beet Pulp (we feed it dry, but wet might work too)

We have been getting over 4lbs ADG since april with this ration.  It's not a ration to get them fat fast, but it will grow them really well.  

what your you feeding this ration to?? heifers, steers. can you get them finished on that ration??

That's actually what we've been feeding our bull, heifers, and steer.  For more finish, back off the Beet Pulp and add Barley and more base ration.  Alsp, to help finish, we use PowerPhat, a supplement from Showmaster Feeds.  It smells like cookies, and it puts on fat fast. 

 

[TJ]

Can someone please recommend a ration for feeding young bulls? I have a couple January Bulls that I would like to feed so they will be ready to breed next year. They are in a lot with a little grass, plenty of water, mineral block, and round bale hay. I am also feeding cracked corn with a little protein. Thanks!

If you are not feeding for the show ring, soy hull pellets & pretty good quality, free choice grass hay works awfully well, IMHO.  It's cheap & it grows them without "over doing them".  You are not going to win an ADG contest, but you'll get decent gains & your bulls wont "melt down" as badly during breeding season either!!  For a little more protein, people have 1/3 corn gluten mixed in with 2/3 Soy Hulls.  Like OHBreeder said... the last thing you want is an overly fat bull.  Too much fat, can effect fertility & libido during the breeding season.  Pasture, hay & soy hulls (with a little gluten for younger animals) is all I would ever feed a breeding animal, unless a show animal needed a little more boost.  Of course, mineral, salt & clean water should always be provided.   Anyway, that is just my way of doing things & plenty of others do things differently with good results.     

 

[chambero]

Bulls need a high roughage diet with more protein than fat.  If you get bulls too fat, it hurts them in several ways but your primary risk is decreased long-term fertility.  In all honesty, you'd probably do just fine feeding them good hay with a a few pounds of cubes a day.

Never feed a bull a finisher ration (i.e. lots of corn).  Sometimes we used a developer ration (about half of what we'd feed a steer) plus free access to round bales and grass.

I've asked the question about why does fat hurt and the technical answer is that fat causes the bulls to have a higher internal body temperature, particularly when its deposited in the testicles, which hurts the production of sperm.  DL or someone may can elaborate on this, but short answer is too much fat on a bull is very bad.

 

[TJ]

Bulls need a high roughage diet with more protein than fat.  If you get bulls too fat, it hurts them in several ways but your primary risk is decreased long-term fertility.  In all honesty, you'd probably do just fine feeding them good hay with a a few pounds of cubes a day.

Never feed a bull a finisher ration (i.e. lots of corn).  Sometimes we used a developer ration (about half of what we'd feed a steer) plus free access to round bales and grass.

I've asked the question about why does fat hurt and the technical answer is that fat causes the bulls to have a higher internal body temperature, particularly when its deposited in the testicles, which hurts the production of sperm.  DL or someone may can elaborate on this, but short answer is too much fat on a bull is very bad.

Good post & I agree with it 100%. 

I agree that feeding a few lbs. of range cubes & free choice hay would work.  As I mentioned above, we do somethign very similar, as we feed soy hulls pellets along with free choice hay.  We've never done it with breeding animals, but free choice hay along with a few lbs. of soy hull pellets & 1/3 corn gluten mixed in, would probably be an ideal bull developer ration & it would be a little more reasonably priced than range cubes in some areas. 

bes & soy hull pellets are probably pretty close in nutritional value, but the soy hulls probably have more fiber & the cubes are probably slightly higher in protien.  Mix a little corn gluten wth the soy hulls &