Breeding Season: Bull Evaluation

Breeding season for some producers here in the Midwest will be starting in a couple weeks. With that being said, evaluating your bulls before turning them out to breed is a must for producers especially since they are the ones you will be counting on for next years calf crop. According to Stephanie Henry, from the University of Illinois, a breeding soundness exam(BSE) is a low cost way of checking your bulls and if something comes up bad with your bull it can be a great return on the investment. The article goes on to tell us how different environmental factors such as age or injury or even frostbit from this years cold weather can affect a bulls fertility so just because you checked your bull last year doesn't mean you shouldn't check him again.

In the past I don't believe the evaluation of your bulls has been nearly as critical as what it is this year. The high calf prices that you could potentially be receiving in the future years makes it a priority for producers to check the health and soundness of their bulls who will be the providers of these calves to sell in the future. I would also agree with Stephanie that a breeding sound exam(BSE) is low cost enough where producers should pencil it into their budget and take out the risk of a bull being turned out who is not able to breed.

Sav Final Answer bull

If a producer is able to find something wrong with just one of his bulls that he was going to turnout to breed he will easily be making back the money he put into this bull and probably the rest of his bulls which is what Stephanie said with the great return on investment. Weigh up price for slaughter bulls is also at an all time high ranging from $0.95 to $1.20 per pound which can add up fast on a 2000 lb plus bull. The money gained from this can be used to pay off bills or can be used as a start for the new bull you will have to buy to replace him.

A few things as a producer that I look for when evaluating bulls is what kind of shape they are in or their body condition. During a normal breeding season a bull can stay fairly active which can take a large toll on their body condition so having them fed up  just right before the breeding season is an essential part in keeping them healthy. Other things we do is observe how the bull moves around through the pasture and look for any signs of lameness or injury with the bull. We also try and catch the bull in action early of a morning to make sure they servicing the cow okay and everything is working properly. Overall, I believe checking your bulls is a way to take some of the breeding risk out of  your operation and in sure there will be an opportunity to have a calf crop for the upcoming year.