Fertility testing bulls pre-breeding

cows

Did you know one in five working beef bulls are subfertile?

A fertile bull with 50 cows should get 95% in calf over a nine-week period. Sub-fertile bulls will struggle to hit this target, increasing return rates, reducing pregnancy rates and extending the calving interval.

Losses associated with a subfertile bull can be minimised by performing a pre-breeding fertility examination.

This examination is comprised of three main parts:

  • Clinical examination: inspecting the bulls’ general condition, conformation and checking his hearts, lungs, eyes, mouth, musculoskeletal system and feet are all checked for any signs of abnormality
  • Size does matter! We examine internal and external genitalia for any abnormalities and measure scrotal circumference- this is a strong indicator of bull performance
  • Electro-ejaculation: a probe is used to stimulate the release of a semen sample for assessment of motility and morphology under the microscope

It is also sensible to test new bulls for BVD, IBR Lepto and Johnes disease prior to mixing him with the rest of your herd.

One thing we can’t safely test is the bull’s libido. This can only be assessed ‘in the field’ by watching his behaviour when around a group of cycling females.

If you haven’t booked your bull in for his annual MOT then please call the office (01833 695695) and ensure you have a well-maintained crush available to restrain your bull(s) for the examination.

We are also offering a SPECIAL OFFER of no visit fee for bull fertility testing and pelvis scoring visits throughout May and June.