I was putting out hay for the weaned calves this afternoon. Grazing season is officially over with the snow. Overall I am very happy with this years crop of calves.

But there is one spring steer in particular that when you look at him from the back it is like looking at a barn. Wide, solid. Same up front. And this is with no grain/creep, no implants etc and no testicles since May... Makes me wonder what he would look like as a bull.  Comes from a very gentle but smaller commercial cow and my T21 bull.

I am leaning to keeping some of my own commercial bulls as well as using a registered Huth bull. Seems very hard to tell in the spring how they will develop.  I did have one last year I thought looked good but he fizzled out and vet cut him at weaning/preg check time and 650 lb. Do not want to do that very often. With a small herd I just can't keep many bulls intact. We cut them all in May as I did not want a repeat of last years' fizzle.

I like the idea of using known genetics from cows and bulls that work well in my particular system to retain a bull every so often from my better cows. This one just surprised me on the positive side.  He looks as good as most of the bull prospect calves I see in the sale catalogs - or better.  

Anyone else trying to retain a bull now and then have this happen?

Jim at Dawn