Prevent Bull Fighting to Mitigate Injury in the Offseason

“A seasoned cattleman suggested to try using donkeys or billy goats and I thought the donkey would be easier to keep in than a goat and probably not stink as bad,” he said. “We’ve only lost two bulls since we started using them.”

When the bulls start fighting, Namken said the donkey will intervene immediately.

“He’ll pin his ears back and start nipping at them,” he said. “They eventually get ‘donkey broke’ and know he’s king of the pen.”

Once the bulls are aware of the donkey in the pen, Namken said the dynamic is interesting to watch.

“The donkey basically lives in his own bubble – he’ll walk up to the feeder and bulls will only go so close to him,” he said. “I’ve seen a bull get pushed towards him and that bull will back out and go around the feeder to the other side.”

Between their general obscurity and their growing use in controlling coyotes, Namken and Valnes agree donkeys can be hard to source – Namken suggested individuals who raise sheep as good resources. Both ranchers said donkeys have increased in value as well.

“Even though they’ve probably doubled in price since we started using them, they’re still far cheaper than replacing a bull,” Namken said. “We’ll typically carry insurance on a bull the first year but after that, the donkey has kind of been the insurance policy.”

Since he now has multiple purposes for donkeys on his operation, Valnes has decided to raise them.

“It’s not always easy to find donkeys, and now that we can use them with both our horses and our bulls, it’s important we are able to keep them around,” he said. “If you have 20 herd bulls with an average value of $15,000, you’re talking $300,000, so a donkey is pretty priceless if they can keep those bulls from fighting.”

Lee Jones, associate professor in the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, said he has heard of producers using donkeys and billy goats with the same success Valnes and Namken have seen. He also offered the following tips for mitigating bull fighting and injuries:

• Use artificial insemination so fewer bulls are needed.

• Cull some bulls at the end of the season so you have fewer to deal with.

• Introduce all bulls together at the end of the season or at least introduce several bulls into the bull pen at one time, not just a single bull.

• Do not introduce a thin or lame bull into the bull pen.

Most bulls have a natural instinct to fight as they attempt to establish dominance. Unfortunately, fighting can lead to severe injury that will affect their ability to breed.

• Separate the main competitors if there is no peace after a week or so. Oftentimes, once pecking order is established – a few days after commingling – bulls should settle peaceably. If pecking order isn’t settled, bulls will continue to fight when they regain their strength and breath.

• Introduce bulls gradually if possible. Place them side by side with an electric or sturdy pipe fence between and let them vocalize. Once they start laying next to each other, introduce them into the same pen.

Jones added that while some producers claim pouring bulls with apple cider vinegar reduces fighting, he is not aware of any significant controlled studies to prove the method.

“Apple cider vinegar certainly adds an extra unusual sensory stimulus that may distract a bull for a time, but most of the posts you find online involve just a few bulls, so the results they’re getting could just be docile personality effect,” he said.

Jones, who spent 13 years as a practicing veterinarian in southwestern Nebraska before moving back to his native Georgia, said that while bulls benefit from a competitive nature while breeding, that instinct to be dominant doesn’t go away in the offseason.

“Bulls establish dominance when we introduce them into the pasture the first time, and we often see that in their ability to breed; we kick out three bulls on 100 cows and we find that 65% of the cows are from one bull,” he said.

“When we pull those bulls and introduce them into their bull pen, we’ve disrupted the peace and they have to reestablish that pecking order. All of the alpha bulls now have to decide who is actually top alpha and that can end up causing injuries if we’re not careful.” //

How to Enroll in FCCP and AA

1. The producer contacts the Red Angus Association of America at (940) 226-4762 and answers a short supplier enrollment questionnaire over the phone. RAAA staff will ask general management, animal identification and breeding questions. If needed, the producer may be asked to supply additional documentation on breeding such as semen receipt, lease agreements or information on purchased females.

2. After all documentation is recorded, staff will ship the tags directly to the producer who must tag the calves before they leave the ranch of origin – birth, branding, preconditioning, weaning or before loading on the semi.

3. The producer will receive a customer enrollment agreement to fill out and return to RAAA with a copy of their calving records.

4. Staff will issue the USDAapproved Certificate of Compliance upon receiving the customer enrollment agreement and calving record.

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