BIEBER RED ANGUS FALL CATALOG 2016
48
BIEBER RED ANGUS BULL DEVELOPMENT
At Bieber Red Angus, we have learned a lot in 47 years
of producing 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 mat-
ing 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 genetic 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 in-
troduction to bunk feeding and diet change and to estab-
lishing 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 receiving phase is the
most important part of our development program because
it prepares the rumen flora to handle diets with increasing
amounts of energy.
After the initial receiving phase, the goal of the pro-
gram is to slowly increase diet energy to properly develop
muscle density and marbling deposition while maintain-
ing 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 per-
formance target of 2.25 to 2.7 lbs ADG.
The final stage of the program is to bring bulls to full ge-
netic expression and reach a working level of body condi-
tion 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 “hold-
ing pattern” through the sale until delivery. When you
look through the catalog you will see many bulls gaining
between 3 and 4 pounds per day. These bulls are not un-
derfed; 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 experi-
ence. If you have questions concerning our bull develop-
ment program, contact Craig or our consulting nutritionist
Eric Mousel of High Plains Ranch Management Services
605/690-4974.
