Mack the Bull

Since the cattle are now out to pasture, I've been able to spend time with them in their natural environment. As they get their winter fur off, they start to get the sharp Angus look I like about this breed of cow. 

We keep one bull on the farm for breeding the herd. Even though the herd is small this year (6 cows and 4 calves), I still like having a bull on the farm to breed the cows. Many farmers do artificial insemination but you have to watch for the cow to be in heat and I find that hard to catch. The bull is able to know when they are and when they need to be bred so I don't have to worry about it. 

Our current bull is just 3 years old and his first crop of calves came this year. He is a certified Red Angus from a farm in Falmouth, NS and it's taken some work to get him tame. He is now so much better and easier to handle then when I first got him. I'm a big fan of having all our cattle very tame but especially the bull since he will get to be well over a ton in weight and it's so much easier to handle them when they are tamer. 

 

We've had a number of bull in the past. Before Mack, we had Bud and he was the best bull that we've ever had. He was so tame, and calm. You could tell he was a calm soul in a large body since he was over a ton when I got him. By the time he was left, I was able to walk him with one hand on his halter or often he would just follow me when I called him. The biggest part of why he was so tame was how much time we spent together so he really trusted me. 

In the barn or in the field, I would spend most night with him, giving him a good scratch or petting and because of his personality, he really grew into a pet, which is a problem because they are livestock not petstock. Letting him go was one of the hardest things I had to do but we had to 2 years ago. 

Mack is currently doing a great job but I'm planning to raise one of his calves as our next bull. Rex was born this year so he could start breeding next year. He is a registered black and red Angus (Bessie is his mom and she was the first cow we bought on the farm) and from day one I knew he would be super tame and friendly. Over the winter I took him for walks around the farm and he was better than walking our dogs.

I'm excited to watch him grow since raising Bulls is definitely a highlight for me on the farm.