In my experience, it takes a whole lot more than an electric fence to keep a bull from doing what his instincts tell him he is supposed to do.
On our ranch when I was a kid, we kept the bull or bulls locked up when we had heifers in the herd population that we didn't want bred just then, usually because they were too young. Our bull pen was a corral made of railroad tie posts set 3 feet in the ground with 2x6 rails set close together with the top rails about 6 feet off the ground. The gates were welded steel made of heavy pipe. The bulls were not pleased at being locked up and tried to get out, but never succeeded. It is interesting seeing a large Hereford bull standing on its hind legs trying to climb over a tall fence.
If the heifers are small enough, and the bulls are large enough, the heifers will not be capable of holding up the weight when they are mounted, and the bull will not be able to "make contact". However this can be pretty hard on the heifers, since the bull will keep trying.
These days there might be something that you could treat the heifers with to prevent pregnancy temporarily. I would suggest talking to a good large animal vet. I would hope that the technique would cause the heifers to not come into heat, rather than something that would prevent fertilized egg implantation, since the former would cause the bull to more or less leave that heifer alone.
Interesting question. We often had a pretty noisy place when the bulls were locked up, because they sure didn't like it and bellowed challenges a whole bunch. But it was the ONLY effective way to be sure that our bull would not impregnate the heifers during their first heat period. If you find out about a drug treatment technique that will work, please post the results. Good luck!
We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]
Today's Featured Article - An AC Model M Crawler - by Anthony West. Neil Atkins is a man in his late thirties, a mild and patient character who talks fondly of his farming heritage. He farms around a hundred and fifty acres of arable land, in a village called Southam, located just outside Leamington Spa in Warwickshire. The soil is a rich dark brown and is well looked after. unlike some areas in the midlands it is also fairly flat, broken only by hedgerows and the occasional valley and brook. A copse of wildbreaking silver birch and oak trees surround the top si
... [Read Article]
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy
TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.
