Page 64 - DVAuction Online Catalogs

Bieber Red Angus Spring Catalog 2013 62
BULL MORTALITY AND LOSS OF USE
INSURANCE COVERAGE
Bieber Red Angus BULL DEVELOPMENT
At Bieber Red Angus, we have learned a lot in 47 years of pro-
ducing the type of bulls customers come back for year after year.
Stacking the right genetics to produce efficient and profitable
cattle has always been the Bieber way, but the truth is that there
is a lot more to it than mating the right cows to the right bulls.
Developing bulls is 1/3 skill, 1/3 science and 1/3 art. Feed too
much and cattle get fat and will not hold up for our customers.
Feed wrong and you lose out on a bull expressing his full genetic
potential. Every year we have customers tell us how our bulls
stand up better compared to bulls from other breeders. We are
very proud of the longevity these bulls have under reasonable
conditions.
Our development program is designed to accomplish three
goals: 1) feed at a moderate rate of growth to the point of full ge-
netic expression, 2) develop bulls in a management program we
believe is similar to how our customers will manage their calves
and 3) use feed-stuffs raised on our ranch that are similar to what
we feel our customers will have access to.
The program starts them on a high roughage diet (44 Mcal) for
the first 45 days to allow calves a low-stress introduction to bunk
feeding and diet change and to establishing a pecking order. The
performance targets for this receiving phase are expected to be
1.5 to 2 lbs. of average daily gain (ADG). We feel that the receiv-
ing phase is the most important part of our development program
because it prepares the rumen flora to handle diets with increas-
ing amounts of energy.
After the initial receiving phase, the goal of the program is to
slowly increase diet energy to properly develop muscle density
and marbling deposition while maintaining sound structural and
physiological development. At this point, bulls are stepped up to
a 48-Mcal diet for three weeks and then a 52-Mcal diet for three
weeks with a performance target of 2.25 to 2.7 lbs ADG.
The final stage of the program is to bring bulls to full genetic
expression and reach a working level of body condition on a
57-Mcal diet with performance target of 3.2 to 3.5 lbs.
ADG—to bring the customer that high-performance, stylish bull
that the Bieber brand is known for.
After the collection of carcass scan data, the bulls are moved
back down to the 48-Mcal diet and kept in a “holding pattern”
through the sale until delivery. When you look through the cata-
log you will see many bulls gaining between 3 and 4 pounds per
day. These bulls are not underfed; yet when you walk through
the pens on sale day these bulls are not fat either. With 47 years
of experience, we have found that elusive balance that so many
others seek to find. We can talk about genetics all day, but if the
bulls are overfed they just won’t stand up in the long run.
The truth is it just makes sense to buy 47 years of experience. If
you have questions concerning our bull development program,
contact Craig or our consulting nutritionist Eric Mousel of High
Plains Ranch Management Services 605/690-4974.