BULL MANAGEMENT

Get Your Bull Settled In:

Bulls can sometimes have difficulties settling into a new environment. Different feed, management practices, and climate all contribute to new stressors for the bull. If you want your bull to reach his highest breeding potential, it is important to get him a few weeks prior to breeding to make this transition easier. If you don’t have any extra pen or space, sometimes this just isn’t a reality and a box stall in the old barn doesn’t count as a pen for the bull.

Evaluate Breeding And Re-Evaluate His Breeding Soundness Throughout The Season:

With yearlings and virgin two-year olds, we need to make sure they can effectively breed a cow. Time and patience are essential! If your breeding season happens on grass, this evaluation becomes more difficult, but due diligence will aid in preventing lost time and open cows. Take the time to evaluate the bull throughout the breeding season. If you suspect an issue, contact me immediately. Back up bulls are always on hand.

Recheck Semen And Re-Evaluate Breeding Soundess The Following Year:

Leading up to the next breeding season, it is important to recheck semen and the bull’s ability to breed. Injuries and damage from our cold winters can greatly affect the bull’s breeding potential.

Pull Your Bull And Provide Proper Nutrition Accordingly:

The most important management practice for ensuring your bulls’ next year service is to pull them from the cows. All bulls will perform better and recondition more efficiently if they are pulled and fed the proper nutrition to regain lost weight, grow and put on needed muscle for the following year. Work with your nutritionist to develop the right ration for your bulls. Having your younger bulls away from your mature bulls is also well worth the investment. Younger bulls can be built up more effectively and the mature bulls won’t get over conditioned.

Semen Testing Bulls After The Sale

With such an early bull sale we have decided to semen test the bulls after the bull sale. With the majority of the bulls not going to work until end of the spring, a later semen check date will evaluate the fertility of the bull at the correct time. Two dates have already been booked for semen evaluation: end of March and end of April. We will also semen check any bull immediately after the sale if requested. All bulls will have scrotal measurement on sale day.