The bulls in your herd need as much care and attention during this time of year as your cows. You must take steps during this time to ensure they are ready for the next breeding season. It is always a good idea to get started now so you will have plenty of time to make adjustments.
Though their job for the year may be done, their management does not end. Where and how you will keep bulls over the winter months should be considered. It is also a good idea to look at your operation and decide if even keeping him or replacing him is needed.
What you do during this time can impact the readiness of your spring breeding season. If the bull is not in the right shape, he will not be servicing the cows. If the cows are not getting serviced, then that means that next year’s calf crop will be limited. Here are some things that you can do to make sure that he is ready to go.
Bull Health
While you are pulling the bulls off of the pasture, you should check them for lameness. Lack of lameness is critical if your herds have to cover a lot of acreages and/or you may have some rough pasture. The bull must be able to move around the range reasonably quickly in order to do his job. A primary reason for culling bulls is their foot and leg problems. Some signs of lameness may be hard to identify. Still, by watching the other cows, the differences can become more noticeable.
After the breeding season is the perfect time to perform a breeding soundness exam. The purpose of this test is to determine the breeding potential of a bull. It consists of a physical examination of the bull’s reproductive organs. The bull is measured for its scrotal circumference, and its semen is evaluated for quality. I talk about this subject in more detail in a previous post, “Don’t forget about the bull”.
Herd health plan
Taking care of both the internal and external parasites will help improve performance. Parasite control helps keep bulls healthy and prevent the spread of diseases throughout the herd. Parasite control should include de-worming at least twice a year to get better control. Depending on your area, consider a grubicide and lice application. Treatment for external parasites not only prevents performance losses but also improves the appearance of the bull.
Having a good herd health program in place is always a good idea. It would be best to talk with your local veterinarian to map out the common diseases in your area. Some common types you may come across in your herd are IBR, BVD, PI3, and BRSV. It would be best if you administered this vaccine annually during the BSE evaluation of your bulls. Some areas require annual leptospirosis (5-Way) vaccinations, while others need it every three to six months. The Trichomoniasis vaccine is always a good idea for your breeding herd.
Nutrition
Depending on the forage conditions, your bull may have a lower BCS after the breeding season. According to the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, bulls can be expected to lose between 100 and 400 lbs during the course of the breeding season. It should be a priority to get him back into a BCS of 6. You will need to take stock of where you currently are and where you need to be to formulate a plan.
Your cattle may not be able to meet their protein and energy needs during this time due to forages losing most of their nutritional value. This lack of nutritional value means that you may have to supplement to meet its needs. If you need protein supplements, you can use range cubes or even lick tubs. If energy is lacking, then you will need to have a more roughage-based diet to take care of that.
Nutrition factors
Factors such as his size and age will determine what kind of supplement you will need. A yearling bull will need more nutrition than, say, a mature one. This increased need is because the yearling is still growing, so they will need much higher quality food to get him going. The larger he will be, the more he will need more feed just to meet his basic maintenance requirements. It is for this reason that you see the trend where people are going for the smaller framed cows.
During this time, some people will keep the bulls with the cow herd. From a labor standpoint, it does make sense. It makes it easier not to have to cover more areas, but this will only sometimes work. As your cows reach the 3rd trimester, their supplement needs will become different from the bull’s needs. The supplements they will be needing will do nothing more than make them fat, and that is only sometimes a good thing. Plus, you run the risk of having calves that are being born out of your designed calving season.
Bull management
When it comes to keeping a bull, year-round producers have two options: with the cows or by themselves. I mentioned earlier why it is better to keep them separate. Keeping them separate will give them a chance to rest and recoup from the breeding season and from any potential cows that may come open during the winter.
If you have multiple bulls, it is a good idea to keep them together during this time. It gives them the chance to get their pecking order set and out of the way before the breeding season starts. You want them out there servicing the cows and not fighting amongst themselves, right?
It would help if you also made them move around the pasture that you are keeping them in. Moving around the pasture makes them keep up with a bit of exercise, and they will be ready in the spring. You can do this by placing the water trough and their food source in different parts of the pasture. These different locations will force them to move around.
It is also a good idea during this time to evaluate if you want to keep any of the bulls or replace them with a newer, younger one. Replace the bull every four or five years, according to recommendations. This amount of time is usually the length of its abilities and prevents it from breeding its daughters. Deciding on which ones you want to replace now will give you time to shop around for the next bull.
Should I cull or not?
When it comes to making this decision, you should look at all of the factors. For starters, you need to look at where your operation is genetically and where you would like for it to go. If there is a gap between these two, then you should consider getting rid of the bull that you currently have.
Next, look at his overall structure and soundness. A bull will only do you good if he is able to get around the pasture and do his job. Look for things like him walking around stiff-legged or taking short strides. Ultimately, the decision on whether to get rid of him or not will rest entirely on you. The bull alone will account for half of the genetics of your herd, so you better choose wisely.
