A good manager keeps an eye on
his bulls during the breeding season to make sure that they are getting
the cows bred. Occasionally a bull that has passed a breeding soundness
exam may have difficulty serving cows in heat, especially after heavy service.
Inability to complete normal service and low fertility are more detrimental
than failure to detect cows in heat to calf crop percent. Such problems
can best be detected by observing bulls while they work. Therefore
producers should (if at all possible) watch bulls breed cows during the
first part of each breeding season. If problems are apparent, the
bull can be replaced while salvaging the remainder of the breeding season
and next year’s calf crop. Likewise a small proportion of bulls can
wear out from heavy service and lose interest. These, too, will need to
be replaced. The greater the number of cows allotted to each bull
in the breeding pasture the more critical it is that every bull be ready
to work every day of the breeding season.
Injuries to bulls during the breeding
season are relatively common. When a bull becomes lame or incapable
of breeding, because of an injury to his reproductive tract, he needs to
be removed from the breeding pasture and replaced with another bull.
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