Breeding season is a very important time on the ranch. We begin with the hope of making a new calf crop to keep the ranch going. In order to have a good calf crop, you will need to make sure that all, or at least 90%, of your cows, will be bred.
While many focus on getting their cows ready for this time of year it is also a good idea to get the bulls that you have ready too. After all, 50% of the genetics that each of your potential calves will have comes from just one animal, the bull.
With the important role, they will play you may be wondering just how you can go about making sure that he will be ready to service the cows. Well here are 5 tips that you can follow to do just that.
Tip#1: Let the bulls get used to each other
Now if you have a small cow herd and you will only be using one bull then you will not need to follow this tip. But if you will be using multiple sires then you may want to pay attention to this one.
This tip is important if you will be bringing in a new or yearling bull to your place. Bringing a new animal can upset the balance among the animals. It is important that you give the bulls a chance to establish their social dominance hierarchy.
What this means is that you should give them a chance to work out their “social pecking order” in the herd. You will want to give them time to do this before turning them out. If you do not then they will be doing that instead of servicing your cows.
Will this is going on you may want to keep an eye on them. This is to make sure that they will not take it too far and one of them gets injured. This type of thing can happen when you mix old and young bulls. This is because the younger ones will not always know when to stop.
If you are mixing old and young bulls it may be best to keep the younger ones with others their age. The same goes for keeping the older ones with other older ones. Also, in this scenario, you will want to use the older ones first and then you can use the younger ones in the last 3rd of the breeding season. This will be so they can get any of the ones the old guys may have missed.
Tip#2: Acclimate them to their surroundings
This is true for any cows that you will be bringing on to your place. You will want to give them a chance to get used to the climate and surroundings before you put them to work. A general idea is that it is best to purchase your animals within a 200-mile radius of your operation. This will mean that they are already somewhat acclimated to the climate they will be dealing with.
When you are bringing them to your place it is a good idea to keep them in a pen with a group of steers or pregnant cows while they get acclimated. Keeping them with cows will play on their “safety in a herd” mentality and will make the transition much smoother.
Since this will already be a stressful time it is best to note overstress or agitate them. He is already having a hard time with his new surroundings, and overstressing or agitating him could result in a dangerous reaction.
Another good thing to remember is that when you are offloading him do not release him directly into a paddock or pasture. With all of the new stimuli going on it may trigger his flight response. If you do that it could be likely you will not see him again and you may have to rebuild some fencing.
Tip #3: Make sure bulls are properly vaccinated
Much like your cows your bulls should be up to date on all of their vaccinations prior to breeding season. If you are buying him just this year you should be able to get that information from the seller. In this way, you will avoid giving him vaccines that he has already received.
If you have to vaccinate then you should do it 30 days before you turn the bull out. This will give the vaccines time to run through his system. Thus allowing his body to develop the antibodies that he will need.
When it comes to which ones to use the bull should receive the same vaccinations that your cows get. Though if you are not sure it is never a bad idea to talk with your local veterinarian. This will let you know any potential diseases that you will need to prevent from occurring.
Along with the typical ones such as BVD, it is important that you vaccinate your bulls for Trich. Trich can cause infertility and even stillbirths so no need to let it show up. I talk about the importance of preventing this from happening in a previous article ” Preventing Trichomoniasis in your herd“.
Tip #4: Check BCS before the breeding season
It is vital that your bull is in a good BCS before breeding season. He will need to be in optimal condition. This will be in order to do his job which will be to service your cow herd.
Now you may be asking “When should I be checking the bull’s BCS?“. Well, the rule of thumb is that you should check it for sure about 60 days prior to the start of the breeding season. Doing it at this time will give you plenty of time to get him to either gain or lose weight before he has to work.
Just like your cows, he should be at a BCS of at least 5. Though preferably he should be more like at a 6. You will want him to be a little “fleshy” during his time. That is because it is not unlikely that he will lose some weight with everything that he will be doing.
As I mentioned earlier checking it early enough will give you time to slowly adjust his diet as needed. If he needs to gain weight then you can slowly increase the amount of energy that he will be consuming. If he is too fat then you can go with a more roughage diet in order to trim him down.
Tip #5: Do a breeding soundness exam
Prior to breeding season, breeders should conduct a breeding soundness test. Your local vet should be able to administer this test, for a small fee of course. They will check for things like the soundness of his legs and even his fertility.
Evaluating bulls with a breeding soundness exam is often one of the most neglected practices in a cow/calf operation. A question you may be asking is “Why would I need to do that test when he looks healthy?“.
Well, according to a paper from Washington State University infertility rates among bulls range from 15%-25% here in the United States. That even includes the ones that appear “healthy“. With a potential quarter being infertile, don’t you think it is important to know for sure if your bull is capable?
It is also advisable to purchase bulls that are acclimated to the geography of your outfit. I have seen very nice bulls that will not climb hills to service cows. I have also seen them hang out at the watering trough on desert rangeland. Many bulls are raised on nice flat grass pastures and have never had to do a lick of work in their lives. I learned this with a nice young bull. We bought three bulls to work with 100 cows on a hilly range. Two were Angus and one was Hereford from one of the greats of that breed. The next calving season, we had 76 black baldy calves. That young bull could work.