How much does a bull weigh?

Every livestock breeder engaged in cattle breeding should know how to find out how much a bull weighs. After all, the animal’s weight is used to judge its health and the correctness of its physical development. Information is also needed to determine vaccination doses and formulate a diet.

How much does a bull and a cow weigh?

At birth, on average, the calf weighs one tenth of its mother’s weight. Usually, we are talking about 40 kilograms. Calves quickly gain weight.

The weight of a yearling bull is ten times greater. This characteristic must be constantly monitored, because weight says a lot about the state of health.

Many livestock breeders raise bulls for no more than one year. During this time, the bull weighs approximately 400 to 500 kg. However, if you continue to fatten it up to two years, the animal’s weight will reach one ton.

The table of bull weight by month looks like this:

• At birth – 40 kg.
• After 2 months – from 60 to 80 kg.
• A three-month-old bull weighs 100 kg.
• At 6 months – approximately 170 kg.
• By the end of the year he gains 400 kg.

There are certain standards for determining weight. These are the age, sex of the animal and breed.

Depending on weight, cattle are divided into categories:

• premium grade, weight within 450 – 500 kg;
• first grade, weight up to 450 kg;
• second grade, weight up to 400 kg;
• third grade, weight up to 300 kg;

If the average weight of an animal varies greatly with the permissible deviations of 30 kg for an adult herd, this indicates poor care, feeding and the presence of diseases in the livestock.

The average weight of a bull is 1,5 times greater than that of a cow. With an average cow weight of 750-800 kg, the bull will weigh 1200-1500 kg. The average weight of a young cow should not be less than 350 kg.

The weight of a two or three year old beef cow, if it is kept in good conditions, reaches 700 kg and more.

The calf’s weight at calving should be on average about 10% of the cow’s weight. This value is 30-40 kg depending on the breed and weight of the parents, as well as the sex of the calf. Young animals grow quickly and gain weight if there are no health problems.

It is recommended to weigh animals 2-3 times a month in order to determine in detail how much a bull or heifer weighs for each calf, and to monitor their growth and development.

By the age of one month, the weight increases by an average of 10 kg. By six months of life, the weight of the young animals is 60-75 kg and they are transferred to adult maintenance. Weighing should be done once a month. By 1 year, the weight of the bull increases to 250-400 kg.

Overview of reasons why cattle weight control is required:

• Monitoring changes in the weight of cattle on a daily basis.
• Check and adjust the cattle diet and the feeding scheme used.
• In cases where there is a need to carry out certain veterinary measures, the need to weigh them may be important for choosing the correct dosage of drugs or assessing the results of the actions taken.
• Assistance in conducting selection work to improve breeds or develop new ones.
• In preparation for sale, proper weight assessment of animals is necessary to estimate expected live weight yield or for other purposes.

The following methods are used to determine the weight of animals:

• Weighing on scales. In this case, scales are placed along the animals’ route. When the bull enters the scales, weighing is carried out.
• The table of cattle live weight measurements is used.
• Using certain formulas to calculate the mass of animals.

Weighing of young bulls is usually carried out according to the following rules:

• The first weighing should be done 6 hours after birth. In this case, it is recommended to determine the weight not using a table, but by direct weighing. This is necessary to obtain accurate data.
• Until two months have passed, it is recommended to weigh every ten days. At this age, this procedure is important for monitoring the health and correct development of the bulls.
• It is recommended to take measurements monthly for a period of two months to six months. During this time, weight can be determined using linear measurements and the corresponding table.
• After 6 months, weight control using a tape measure is necessary for comparison with the standard indicators that should be for this breed.
• Further weight control is carried out as necessary.

Determining the weight of a bull

In order to control the growing of bulls, it is necessary to regularly measure their weight. This will not only help to estimate the expected profit, but also will give the opportunity to adjust the work with them.

Not every farm has the right type of scales. In addition, if a small number of cattle are raised, it does not always make sense to purchase them.

After all, if the rate of weight gain deviates from the normal, then this usually means that it is necessary to understand what reasons could have influenced this. In some cases, for example, it may be necessary to make changes to the diet.

In most cases, you need to measure two dimensions with a measuring tape for cattle:

1. The length of the segment that starts from the front thoracic protrusion at the bottom of the body and ends at the highest point of the seat (where the tail begins).
2. Another necessary measurement is the circumference of the body, which is measured vertically, at the top it goes behind the shoulder blades, and at the bottom it goes just behind the front legs.

The first measurement is usually called the oblique torso length.

Cattle Measurement Table

A table is shown on how to find out the weight of a bull without scales. It shows how to determine the weight itself by measuring the oblique length of the body and the circumference.

The cattle weight table is used as follows. Depending on the oblique length of the body, a column is selected, the row is determined by the girth value.

Let’s give an example of calculating live weight according to the cattle table. Let’s assume that the length is 165 cm, and the girth is 195 cm. Having found the column and row in this way, we can determine from the corresponding cell that the weight is 549 kilograms.

To determine the weight of a calf, another table is used. It is used in the same way as the previous one: based on the oblique length and the chest girth value, the necessary column and row are found, where the weight is indicated.

Using these tables, you can control the weight of cattle without weighing them.

Determining weight by measurement

When determining the weight of animals, it is important to remember that it does not always change smoothly with age. During the development of cattle, not only its gain is possible, but also temporary loss due to unfavorable factors.

Using tables to control animal weight allows saving on regular weighing, but is not an absolutely accurate method. The average deviation in determining weight in some cases can reach 30-40 kg.

Weight gain depends not only on the animals’ diet, but also on other factors: care conditions, climatic factors, and the health of the animals.

Weight measuring tape

To determine the net weight of cattle, according to the table provided, it is important to take measurements correctly:

1. The cow or bull’s head should be held horizontally, the tongue should not hang down. It should not be raised or lowered when taking measurements.
2. To measure, you need to be on the side of the animal. The legs should be covering each other.

The use of tape is convenient, in particular, because it eliminates additional stress in animals and saves labor costs when carrying out control.

Measuring tapes are made on a synthetic base. Various options are available: for beef, dairy cattle, for different breeds.

Other methods of determining weight

There are other ways to determine the weight of livestock. One of the popular ones is the regression method, which also uses a formula and a special coefficient, but only the chest circumference is needed for calculations.

Some cattle owners use the Frowein table, which also uses only the cow’s chest circumference. Its value is compared with the required column and the desired parameter is obtained.

A method based on measuring the chest and the widest part of the animal’s belly has also proven effective. The resulting figures are also inserted into the table and the mass value is determined.

To determine the average weight of animals based on measurements, you can not only use the tables discussed above, but also use Trukhanovsky’s special formula.

When calculating here, instead of the oblique length, the straight length is used. It is measured along the upper edge of the body. It is the distance from the beginning of the neck to the tail.

Weight = ((Girth * Length)/100) * Coefficient

For greater accuracy, the presence or absence of fat in the bull is taken into account. In this case, 5-10% is added or subtracted from the weight.

Factors Affecting Weight

The mass of cattle is related to the conditions of keeping and care, as well as the feeding ration. The breed of animals is also of great importance. Dairy cows need to spend a long time on pasture, and individuals of meat breeds are recommended to be kept in a stall or pen.

If they are kept on pasture for a long time and driven a certain distance, they will lose weight.

Conditions of detention

When constructing or reconstructing another building for a barn for cows, a number of requirements must be taken into account:

• Providing cattle with a temperature regime of at least +10°. For young animals, at least +15°.
• Air humidity in the barn and lighting, air ventilation. If ventilation is performed by window openings, they should be made opening.
• No drafts and a calm environment.
• Animal bedding. It can be straw, sawdust, peat.
• Having a pasture near the barn will have a positive effect on the milk yield of cows, since fresh air, sunlight, and movement are necessary for animals, especially dairy and meat-dairy breeds.
• If there is a lake or other body of water in the grazing area, it should be fenced off from the herd, as this may cause the cattle to become infected with parasitic diseases. Animals should be given clean water in a specially organized place.
• In winter, cattle should be let out for a walk in the pen. Put a stack of hay in the middle of it and the cows will feed on roughage. Regular walking of cattle has a positive effect on blood circulation, digestion, and prevents leg diseases.
• Manure must be removed daily, as its accumulation and gas formation cause respiratory complications and lead to hoof pathology.
• When keeping cattle on deep litter, manure is removed once in the spring, and during the fall and winter it is necessary to constantly add it to the stall. Labor costs with this method are reduced, the temperature in the barn increases, but the bedding must be prepared twice as much and ventilation must work well.

Feeding the animals

The feeding diet of cattle must be balanced.

It should include:

• Rough and succulent feeds of plant origin. Rough feeds include hay and straw. Succulent feeds include silage, haylage, fodder beet, and potatoes.
• Concentrates that include grain, cake, bran and others.
• Bone meal, compound feed.
• Vitamins and mineral supplements, as well as waste from the chemical and food industries.

It is necessary to adhere to the feeding regime. Cattle should be fed 3 times a day. Grain feed and succulent feed should be given in the morning and at lunchtime, and roughage is better in the evening. If there are no automatic drinkers in the barn, it is necessary to monitor the presence of water in the drinking tank.

Water for drinking should be clean, without impurities and odor. When growing bulls for fattening, their diet differs from that of cows.

A bull eats up to 100 kg of feed per day, 3 times a day. The fattening period lasts up to 20 months. In the last months, the animal’s mobility should be limited and it should be tethered. At this time, the bulls become aggressive fighters.

When feeding one bull per year, it eats about 3 centners of hay, the same amount of compound feed, as well as a lot of silage straw and vegetables.

During the first year of life, with proper fattening, the weight of a bull at 1 year should increase 8 times compared to its birth weight. This is an indicator of proper feeding of the animal.

Cows and bulls are record holders

Among the variety of cattle breeds, there are very large, and even massive breeds – giants.

Among bulls, these are breeds such as:

• Porcelain rock. The bull Donnetto weighed 1740 kg and was 190 cm tall at the withers. He lived in Switzerland in the 20th century.
• Charolais breed. Bull Field Marshal, his weight is 1700 kg, and his height is 190 cm. Place of residence: England, present time.
• Fresian breed. Chili bull, its weight is 1300 kg. Habitat: Britain, present day.
• Fresian breed. Bull Trigger, weighs 1200 kg and is 196 cm tall. The animal’s length is 4,3 m.
• Podolsk breed. Bull Repp, his weight is more than 1500 kg. Place of residence: Ukraine.

Among the cows, the following should be highlighted:

• A hybrid of the Holstein-Durham breed. The cow was Mount Katahdin, her weight was 2270 kg, her height was 188 cm and her length was 3,96 cm. Her lifespan was the beginning of the 20th century. She was listed in the Guinness Book of Records.
• Chilean breed. The cow weighs over 1000 kg and is 183 cm tall.
• Kazakh white-headed. Weight of the cow is 1069 kg, year of habitation is 1980.

The smallest breeds of cattle:

• Namibian Ovambo. Cows weigh 160 kg, and bulls 225 kg.
• Anatolian, Türkiye. Live weight of a cow is 95-275 kg, height is 100 cm.
• African Shorthorns. Weight 150 – 200 kg, height 80 – 100 cm.
• In Mexico, a breed of cows was bred that weigh 120-150 kg and are 80 cm tall. The smallest cow, 62 cm tall as a dog, was bred in Mexico.