Bull development

I believe bull development starts the day they are born.  At Fleury Cattle Company calving starts April 20th and the calves are born on grass in their natural environment.  Canadian winters get very cold and spring calving eliminates any stress that the cow and calf may experience by calving in the cold.  Calving on grass is virtually stress-free for mother and baby.

The calves are raised on the cow for six months with no creep feed.  Calves are weaned in November and in the first year the yearlings are put on a TMR ration not exceeding 1% of body weight of grain per day, maintaining a 2.5 lb daily gain.  Feeding the bulls out on a light ration promotes growth development - the bulls are not pushed.  The first week in May they are then turned out on seeded forage pastures where these bulls grow frame and are developed in a natural environment.  While on grass the bulls have a whole oat creep to enhance development.  The bulls walk for their feed while grazing all summer.  This grazing process develops their athletic ability, frames the bulls out, and develops their joints and muscle at an acceptable pace.

We bring these bulls home from grass in early fall and they are put on a TMR ration designed for a 3-3.5 lb daily gain.  These bulls are developed with longevity in mind.  On sale day these bulls will have reached 75% of their mature weight as a two year old.  Running two-year-old bulls gives a better idea of what that bull is going to mature into.  Two-year-old bulls are capable of covering more cows and require less development.  We believe a two-year-old bull is past the calf stage, knows he is a breeding bull, and is ready to go out and breed cows.

As agriculture evolves we notice farms and ranches expanding.  With this growth, operations need to be more efficient and economical to sustain a profitable operation.  Due to ranchers expanding their cow herds, cattle are run in larger groups and the demand for two-year-old bulls has never been greater.