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Post by waltzingmatilda on May 21, 2008 21:50:56 GMT -5
Any thoughts on whether it's better to use AI for a small herd (two heifers) or to buy a yearling bull?
What does a decent yearling bull cost?
Can semen tanks be rented? What does it REALLY cost to AI?
It looks to me like new semen tank + AI would perhaps cost more initially, unless there is a way to do it without buying a good tank...
- Michelle
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Post by Steve on May 22, 2008 5:33:29 GMT -5
Can't help you, but I'm hoping there are lots of replies with people presenting their own opinions so we can both find out what others think.  |
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Post by windmill on May 22, 2008 6:18:00 GMT -5
I think that there are different factors to conceder. How much land you have. How big to you plan to go raising Dexter's. I read that it cost $400 to keep a bull a year. If you buy a young one it would take almost a year before he is ready to breed. He would cost between $500-1200 depending on what color you get. If you AI the vet that I use has 3 different tanks and stores the straws for me so that saves me the cost of buying a tank. He charges $50 to AI a animal for me. Straws cost about $25 and up. Shipping depends on how far you are from the source. With AI you can bred from different bull in different years. Hope this helps.
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Post by waltzingmatilda on May 22, 2008 8:57:13 GMT -5
Windmill - that's nice if the vet can store semen for you.
Do small breeders ever buy bulls to share between their herds?
- Michelle
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Post by gene on May 22, 2008 9:01:17 GMT -5
michelle,
lots of small breeders buy a bull and after he takes care of business, have him butchered. so they are basically buying their beef and for the price of a few months grass, getting bred cows from him. and they will be breeding age very quickly. my first dexter bull was 11 months when i bought him. he bred 3 dexter heifers and 13 grown brangus cows within a couple of months.
gene
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Post by waltzingmatilda on May 22, 2008 10:03:29 GMT -5
Gene,
That is probably the best solution for my situation, especially next year when both heifers will be open. We have plenty of forage in summer.
Any idea what weight a long yearling bull dresses out at?? I am curious what the carcass value is compared to the bull cost. That would give me an idea of what I could pay for a bull, and break even.
- Michelle
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Post by tiffin on May 22, 2008 16:55:10 GMT -5
We AI. $25 a straw usually. AI tech stores the straws for me. He charges $11 for each straw used. Shipping is usually around $75.00. Therefore I believe it is cheaper, safer and easier to AI. However, sometimes it takes several straws to get the heifer/cow to settle. I'm sure a bull would get the job done quicker. DH is thinking of keeping one of our new Dexter bull calves for herd sire but then it is the question of where to keep him so he does not bother the wrong cows/heifers according to age, relationship. I'm not wild about the idea. But, I haven't been able to sell a bull calf anyway so we may have to keep them for beef.
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Post by seventrees on May 23, 2008 12:30:05 GMT -5
We're buying a bull calf this fall. We've been lucky enough to have a breeder close by who rents bulls our first 2 seasons, but with hauling costs going up, plus the possibility of not being able to get the bull we want, when we want him, taking the plunge seems like a good idea.
We just have one cow (we'll keep/breed her next calf if it's a heifer), so it can be tough to judge when she's in heat. I can't afford to have multiple AI attempts if she doesn't take right away, let alone the hassles of trying to find an AI tech, semen storage etc.
I did all the math, and the cost of a bull over a few years is well worth it for guaranteed service to get milk, meat & manure. And, when he's given us enough calves, we either sell him or eat him and buy another one. When I start calculating how much we'd pay for a Dexter's worth of beef, plus all the milk, I have no trouble buying the extra hay and building a good sturdy bull pen. And what price can you put on peace of mind, knowing that no technical glitches, shipping or tech errors, etc will come between my household and our food security?
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Post by davendahlonega on May 23, 2008 22:18:19 GMT -5
If you can find an A I tech, you can choose from the best bulls. It will cost as much as keeping a Bull. There is usually a min. number of straws you must purchase. I was told that Dexters were harder to AI than regular beef cattle and I think a 60% success rate was quoted. You might be able to borrow/lease a Bull. I borrowed the last bull and then bought a younger bull after he had done his job. I will probably butcher him after he does his job in a few weeks.
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Post by Cloverbell on May 24, 2008 8:05:35 GMT -5
Start by finding a reputable AI tech before doing anything else. In some places that is the hardest thing. I looked a long time. No vet around here will do it, the big herd AI guys won't even consider it. I finally got someone recommended by the extension service. He came out to our farm and met, checked everything out, showed me all his equipment (he kept a mobile tank and had more storage at his office) and seemed really enthusiastic to do the job. I had the straws shipped directly to him and he contacted me to say he had received them. Then he stopped returning calls, changed his number and couldn't be found. I finally tracked him down after a month and he said he went out of business and S.O.L for me. No refund, nothing. I could have gotten a lawyer but that would have ended up costing more $$.
I bought a 2 young bulls shortly thereafter.
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Post by waltzingmatilda on May 24, 2008 10:40:02 GMT -5
Well, I am lucky in that I have a good friend who is a very qualified AI tech. He worked at a bull test center for 25 years and has AI'd thousands of cows. The big catch is that he doesn't have a tank. But he will AI for me for free, as I help him with his 150 cows every year with branding, moving, sorting, preg checks, etc. However, if he's working up on the mountain the day my heifer is ready to breed, I will be out of luck...
I can breed back to the bulls owned by the guy I bought my heifers from - but one of my heifers is an untested short leg and his bulls are short legs (unknown if they are carriers). I don't really want to consider that, until I get the heifer tested.
The other local breeder doesn't want to lease a bull because of the possibility of STD's which I completely understand. One of my breeder friends had a bull that got trich and passed it to much of his herd and the results were disasterous. There is also the possibility that his bull has trich and could pass it to my herd.
I found a bull yearling for about $500, which if I consider the value of breeding my two cows at $200, that means if I can get $300 meat value out of him in Fall, I break even. I won't count pasture cost because it's negligible (they are mostly eating bind weed, which is a good forage for cattle).
My other personal consideration for breeding the short leg heifer is this. So far, I am not impressed with her temperament. She is not gentling down well - especially compared to the older heifer who took to me like a duck to water. I had initially considered AI breeding the younger short leg to Gene's bull for introducing that premium milk gene into my herd. But if her temperament is not great, I'd rather wait and breed my really nice older heifer via AI next year.
Darn, this part is complicated! Lots of aspects to think about...
- Michelle
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Post by copperhead on May 25, 2008 21:21:16 GMT -5
me personally, I"d just rather have a bull take care of all that stuff. I don't understand why it costs more to keep a bull, I guess he's take in a little more feed, but it's worth it to me. He knows his job and if I don't keep real good track of when she comes in, he will. My first dexters were two cows , (I was going to get a bull later) I found out that a cow will go hunting a partner if you don't have a bull there for her. My first two calves were black limosienes (sp) so I always have a bull around.
P.J.
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