Year-Round Care Keeps Herd Bulls Fit for Duty
US - He’s big and stout with just a touch of snort to him - the picture of virility and exactly the kind of bull you need for your cowherd.Don't judge a book by its cover, Kansas State University Animal Scientist Twig Marston advises. Producers should make sure that herd bulls are fit and capable before turning them into the breeding pasture. |
With a calf crop on the line, though, it’s no time to judge a book by its cover, according to Twig Marston.
Speaking to area beef producers at Fredonia, Kan., recently, the Kansas State University beef cattle specialist stressed that the dollars and cents of the matter are far too important to take bull fertility for granted.
“We need to do a few things to get ready to go to the breeding pasture,” Marston told cattlemen gathered at Fredonia Livestock Auction. “If you just kick a bull out with a bunch of cows - especially if he’s a yearling - you may be asking for trouble.”
Marston discussed year-round bull management but he began with the importance of thoroughly checking out a bull before he heads to the pasture.
A physical examination focusing on the bull’s physical ability to breed cows and hold up during the breeding season is a critical first step. Eyes, hocks, feet - all need to be right or fertility won’t matter.