Brahman Bull Development Protocols

October 6, 2024

BRC has earned a great reputation as the preferred source of breeding age Brahman bulls from ranchers all around the world. From the local rancher down the road to presidents of nations, people trust BRC for Brahman bulls that are developed to work.

Here is an overview of the BRC bull development herd health and management program. We follow recommendations from our trusted veterinary partner (Wharton Vet Clinic) and trusted feeding partner (Purina). But, for the most part, here is our Brahman bull development protocol.

Within 24 hours of birth

We weigh every bull and put in an ear tag identifying the sire, dam, and individual ID number. Recording the actual birthweight is very important to help us be able to assure bulls may either be low birthweight (suitable for crossbreeding) or not suitable for crossbreeding. At this time, we also record the dam’s udder score, teat score and maternal ability, because this is also passed down to her offspring.

3-4 Months old

We dehorn the bulls if needed and vaccinate with Calvary 9 focusing on Blackleg, and deworm using Valbazen.

6-8 Months old

We brand the bulls at this age. We also collect weaning weights, assign a disposition score, vaccinate again Calvary 9, and give Enforce 3 as a respiratory vaccination.  Once weaned, we swap the bulls from Purina Accuration LW that we used as creep feed to Purina’s Blue Impact starter ration. We feed the bulls this high roughage ration for two weeks to combat the stress of weaning.  

8-12 Months old

Bulls enter the BRC Bull Development Program at this age. Here, we develop the bulls on Purina Accuration Limiter #2 until 12 months of age. We also de-worm during this time. Each week, we evaluate the bulls for quality, soundness, and disposition. At 12 months, we collect yearling weights, take another round of disposition scores, and collect ultrasound data. At this stage, we cull any bulls that don’t meet our criteria for these benchmarks.  

12 Months to breeding age (18 months)

At this time we move the bulls to Purina Accuration Limiter #3 to restrict feed intake. We turn the bulls out on Bermuda grass to get them in condition for service. We continue with our deworming protocol, every 90 days. Once the bulls hit 18 months, we start conducting breeding soundness exams. We guarantee all our bulls to be natural breeders. But, we prefer for them to pass a fertility test before we sell them just to add another level of assurance.

First Breeding Season

We feel the bulls can handle their first set of cows between 19 to 22 months of age. We have developed them in a way to handle pasture conditions better than most bulls. However, we recommend that you take special consideration because they still have some teeth to loose and some growing to do. Until they reach full 2 year old age, a light load of no more than 15 cows is recommended. Once they hit 24 months, you can add more cows to his breeding herd.

If you are looking for efficiently developed, outstanding quality Brahman bulls for sale, give us a call at BRC at 979-532-9141 or contact us. We would love to show you what we have available.

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