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ENLARGE
Shelby Filley
The massiveness and strength of a good bull is impressive and can be a source of pride for a ranch. We certainly want to provide the care and respect each bull is due, and in return we expect him to work well for us.
Bull selection
Choose bulls carefully because they are responsible for the majority of the genetics in a herd. This is because one bull can breed many cows. When we keep replacement heifers, the genetics of her sire and grandsire, as well as the bull to which she’s bred, stay in the herd. This adds up to 87.5 percent of the genetics in a herd coming from the last three bulls used. Select bulls that complement the herd’s current genetics and goals, keeping in mind the marketing of calves and the ranch’s resources. Look at expected progeny differences for growth and calving ease, maternal performance, frame size and muscling, and other specific traits. Pay attention to structural soundness, appearance, temperament, and fertility.
Bull management
Prepare bulls for the breeding season they will face throughout the late spring and summer months. Help the bull with daily exercise for strength and conditioning by placing food, water and minerals in different locations around a hillside pasture, and acclimate any new bulls to their environment. Don’t let them get too thin or too fat. During the breeding season, bulls pay little attention to their need for food, so have them fed properly at the start. Mature bulls need a maintenance diet of about 7 percent crude protein and 50 percent total digestible nutrients (energy). Young, growing or thin bulls need to gain a pound or two per day, and need more protein and energy. Good quality hay will meet the lower requirements, but grain (3 to 6 pounds per day) or good quality pasture will be needed to improve the diet for bulls with the higher requirements.
Work with your veterinarian on vaccinations, internal parasites (worms and flukes), external parasites (lice, flies, etc.), hoof trimming and breeding soundness exams. The latter involves checking general health, testicular size, sperm quantity and quality, reproductive diseases, and reproductive organ abnormalities. Many producers do not take advantage of this area of bull preparation, and so it represents an area for potential improvement in ranch efficiency.
The breeding season
A well-defined breeding season is important for efficiency (economics, disease control, ranch labor and more). Keep the bulls with the cows only during the breeding season, about 60 to 90 days. This helps to produce a uniform calf crop, simplifies cow feeding, and ensures that cows calve at least once every 365 days. Any cows that cannot conceive within the breeding season are inefficient and good candidates for culling. Bulls less than 3 years old will have limited breeding ability compared to fully mature bulls. Older bulls gradually reduce their effectiveness in the herd, but can be used for several years after their peak. Retire bulls with reduced vigor.
More information on livestock and forages is available at http://extension.oregonstate.edu/douglas/lf.
Shelby Filley is the regional livestock and forage specialist for OSU Extension Service in Douglas County. She can be reached by e-mail at shelby.filley@oregonstate.edu or by phone at 541-672-4461.
