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Permalink Reply by NHF on December 12, 2011 at 1:18pm

Hi Jeff,

This is a tough issue for all us small farmers.  We use natural bull service, much to the bull's delight.  But it's risky, and that's an increasing concern for us.  Like you, we don't really have facilities for this and have put the bull out with the cows in the field for a few months in recent years.  This year we're taking a different appraoch.

We ran some portable fencing around a one acre paddock and put the bull there.  Contiguous to this paddock I created another "empty" paddock that is about 200' X 200'.  When a cow is in heat I walk her into this transition paddock, entering from a gate that is as far away from the bull as possible. Once she's in she is pretty receptive to getting to the bull and he, it goes without saying, is in the mood.  Now the tricky part that scares my wife to death, with good reason.  I have to get the two together.  I do this, however, and feel pretty safe in the process, keeping fences and gates between me and the bull when necessary. Hard to explain but all you need to know is this: never trust a bull, no matter how friendly you think he is or how much you may have petted him when he was young. Always assume he will turn to beast when it's least convenient for you.  Having said that, I feel reasonably safe the way I handle our bull and our boars, but I wouldn't have anyone else on the farm doing it.

A/I (artificial insemination) is more predictable and safer for sure, and you can make a makeshift facility easy enough by putting together 2-4 interlocking corral gates.  I did this for other purposes before we had the dairy set up. Check out the pic of our cow Zinnia in this NHF blog post and you'll get the idea: 

http://www.naturesharmonyfarm.com/grass-fed-meat-farm-blog/2009/7/3...

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Permalink Reply by Jeff Hamons on December 12, 2011 at 2:51pm

Thanks TIm for the insights.

Have you ever done AI on any of your cattle?  Were you able to do it in a  temporary chute like you illustrated above?

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Permalink Reply by NHF on December 12, 2011 at 3:01pm

No, we haven't. If we did today we'd do it in the dairy parlor, but I would be comfortable doing it in the set-up I showed you if I had it set up secure. Ideally this would be against an immovable fence or building on one side.  Then just place a board behind the cows legs so she can't kick and also have someone hold the tail up.  Not perfect, but all I'm saying is that you can manufacture something on the farm that would be functional and safe for a couple of hundred dollars rather than $3,000.  Your main goal is to be sure you can confine her once she's in and then eliminate the possibility of kicking.

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Permalink Reply by Casey Brooks on December 15, 2011 at 6:28am

I'm struggling with the same thing related but related to boars.  I have a friend who knows how to ai and would be willing to do it, but I hear it is hard to tell when a female pig is in heat without a boar on the farm- anyone have any experience with this?

NHF said:

No, we haven't. If we did today we'd do it in the dairy parlor, but I would be comfortable doing it in the set-up I showed you if I had it set up secure. Ideally this would be against an immovable fence or building on one side.  Then just place a board behind the cows legs so she can't kick and also have someone hold the tail up.  Not perfect, but all I'm saying is that you can manufacture something on the farm that would be functional and safe for a couple of hundred dollars rather than $3,000.  Your main goal is to be sure you can confine her once she's in and then eliminate the possibility of kicking.

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Permalink Reply by East West Farm on December 15, 2011 at 9:19am

I too have been throwing this idea around. I have some friends who raise Jerseys and they handle their AI services themselves in their milking stantion.  They put their sons through an AI course at a local ag college for a few hundred dollars. They have strongly cautioned me against getting a bull. Apparently, Jersey bulls are notoriously aggressive and a bull just doesn't fit their model since they're operating on just five acres and the risks & costs of keeping a bull doesn't out weigh the benefits.

I don't know about the Galloways, but I know that you do have factor the breed of cattle. If I were you, I'd speak with everyone you can find who has the same breed and learn what works for them. My friends that I spoke of have only used Jerseys and that is what they know. The model I am pursuing is different. Because I too have a very small acerage, I'm looking to raise Dexters. I have spoken with several breeders and not a one, large or small, uses AI, except to introduce fresh genetics to the herd. One of the reasons I am choosing the Dexter is for their mild temperament as well as their small size. I do understand that money is a huge factor too, it's the only reason I don't already have a herd myself. I will be interested in seeing how it works out for you.

Jeff Hamons said:

Thanks TIm for the insights.

Have you ever done AI on any of your cattle?  Were you able to do it in a  temporary chute like you illustrated above?

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Permalink Reply by Lilac Hill Farm on December 15, 2011 at 11:30am

My small herd of Belted Galloways includes 2 cows and one heifer (hopefully all bred) and a heifer calf. Plan on eating and selling pasture/hay raised meat and not selling registered stock or showing so I do not need registered animals. We like the look, size,hardiness and taste when raised on grass.

For the past two years I have brought a bull into our field with electrified hi-tensile. He stays in the field and I stay out except when behind the protection of a truck when we bring in hay.  We need to bring in hay because the field cannot support the beef and I do not rotate the Galloways when the bull is with them. SInce we do not breed until after the heifers are at least 18 months old,I have line weaned with the hitensile successfully.

This year did not go as planned.  The bull was young, not aggressive and from a larger herd that has little contact with people.  After his time on the homestead, he was unloadable, so I had to buy him (market price for that week at the Lancaster, PA auction) and butcher him.  Having a butcher who will come to the field  is a great resource. My new loading shoot is a few feet higher, narrower and the side rails are very stout.

Moving and renting a bull , buying hay, and rebuilding the loading shoot seemed easier than building AI facilities and finding and shipping Galloway semen.  We have an AI technician very near so that is not a concern.

SInce I only have one cow I want to breed next year I will bring her to another farm for 6 weeks and pay for her keep. 

BTW, I am working through alot of the same thought processes with the Katahdin sheep.  If our young ram stays manageable, he gets to stay two breeding seasons and then hopefully I will  be able to trade him with another farm.  Keeping the ram 2 years and trading should help keep costs down while I build the flock. Of course if the ram gets unmanageable, especially around lambing time, he get to go to the freezer or another farm.

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Permalink Reply by Cory & Lori on December 16, 2011 at 6:49pm

We built a milking stantion for right around $100 and just used that for AI facilities. The time before that we had her AI, I actually just held her head by a halter. Now our Jersey is great and doesn't kick, so it might just be that she's awesome. A long time farmer friend told me that a cow cannot kick when their tail is held up. Don't know how true that is, but he says he's never been kicked when banding his bull calves.

I'll be watching the replies on this though as we've been considering buying a Dexter bull. We feel we can't truly be self-sufficient without one.

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Permalink Reply by Jen F on December 19, 2011 at 10:20am

I have a small herd of Belted Galloways.  We wanted to do AI because we are new to farming and very leery of a bull.  We found the cost to do AI was very high and could purchase a decent bull for what the AI costs.  The purchase and shipping of the semen and tank is high and you have to order extra straws because the conception rate is about half.  Each time you miss a heat, that is three more weeks you have to wait and we already dragged our feet for too long.  We work day jobs off the farm so it would be tough to catch our cows in heat and to use the hormones to make them come into heat starts to get expensive.  We estimated over $1000 to get our 5 cows bred when all costs were included.  I looked at young bulls for around $1000 and worried that they wouldn't get the job done and we already wasted enough time.  Then I looked at an older bull for a little more money and really liked him.  The selling point was the owner and I walked into the pen with him and rubbed all over him.  Now, I am very leery when I am around any of the bovines, and don't make a habit of going into the pen unless necessary, but he really has the temperament that I was looking for.    I also liked the BG size and temperament compared to other breeds.  They are big enough for me!!  You may consider renting a bull.  The bull comes to your place and you care for him for a couple months and send him back.  Best of both worlds!

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Permalink Reply by SusanLea2 on December 20, 2011 at 10:58pm

We just had our cow AI'd for the second time.  First time she was our only cow so we had no way to verify heat cycles or if she'd taken.  We took her to a nearby genetic farm & left her for two months, long enough to ultrasound and know she'd taken.  With semen straw, that all cost us about $500, but we got an amazing heifer.

This time the same clinic told us they can do it here.  They are about 2 miles away--we are lucky!--so the guy made three trips here.  Much less stressful on all of us!

We also have several Dexter breeders in our area (we have Dexters) that rent bulls.  They charge depending on how many cows the bull will be servicing.  When we have more than one to breed, we might try that.  Of course, there is less choice than with AI.

The thing we have liked about AI is that we bred a so-so cow (the one we could afford) to an excellent bull, choosing his strengths to offset her weaknesses.  According to the breeders we bought the cow from, we succeeded.  They said we got a lovely heifer and they would buy her in a minute if she was for sale.

We don't have a lot of experience, but hope our limited experience will give you some insight.

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Permalink Reply by Jeff Hamons on December 21, 2011 at 12:19am

Well. I have decided to go the bull route.  Primarily because it fits in better with our low artificial intervention approach to doing things.  When I stepped back and looked at the decision based on core values we have already set forth in regards to our farm -- a bull is what makes the most sense.  

One of the disadvantages obviously of being committed to raising heritage breeds of livestock is that they are by definition more difficult to find.  I have found a great breeder in MN that I am going to buy a bull from.  Thats about 12 hours away.  That will be a fun trip :)  I pick him up on Thursday.

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Permalink Reply by SusanLea2 on December 21, 2011 at 2:06pm

Daniel & Katie, that's why we got into Dexters--because of their size and temperament.  We were lucky in that we bought our place with a ready-made wood chute behind a run-in shed in a field.  We just built a small round pen around it with gates on opposite sides and added a head gate at the end of the chute.  We lured our cow, who was not trained to be handled and also has horns, into the back of the round pen with pears, which she LOVES!  A 16' cattle panel works as a sweep gate on the end of the chute to move her into the chute.  Our manual head gate works like a dream with her horns.  A wood fence post behind her legs held her just fine for the AI process.  

We are thrilled with the way her yearling heifer is so friendly and teachable, easy to handle.  Her sire is known for his good temperament being passed on to his offspring, and it sure worked.

Another thing we have appreciated about Dexter breeders is how enthusiastic they are about their breed and how helpful and friendly they are to complete novices like us.

Daniel & Katie Seedorf said:

I too have been throwing this idea around. I have some friends who raise Jerseys and they handle their AI services themselves in their milking stantion.  They put their sons through an AI course at a local ag college for a few hundred dollars. They have strongly cautioned me against getting a bull. Apparently, Jersey bulls are notoriously aggressive and a bull just doesn't fit their model since they're operating on just five acres and the risks & costs of keeping a bull doesn't out weigh the benefits.

I don't know about the Galloways, but I know that you do have factor the breed of cattle. If I were you, I'd speak with everyone you can find who has the same breed and learn what works for them. My friends that I spoke of have only used Jerseys and that is what they know. The model I am pursuing is different. Because I too have a very small acerage, I'm looking to raise Dexters. I have spoken with several breeders and not a one, large or small, uses AI, except to introduce fresh genetics to the herd. One of the reasons I am choosing the Dexter is for their mild temperament as well as their small size. I do understand that money is a huge factor too, it's the only reason I don't already have a herd myself. I will be interested in seeing how it works out for you.

Jeff Hamons said:

Thanks TIm for the insights.

Have you ever done AI on any of your cattle?  Were you able to do it in a  temporary chute like you illustrated above?

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