Why is my bull not breeding cows?
There are multiple reasons why a bull may not be servicing cows, such as lameness, disease, other mature bulls, or a lack of libido. Libido is a measureable trait and measures how aggressive a bull is at servicing a cow, regardless of any management or environmental factors that may get in his way.
Why is my bull not producing?
Multiple factors can affect the success of proper bull-to cow-ratios, such as terrain, time of year, the desire of a bull to mate (libido), mating ability, semen quality, condition of the bull going into the breeding season, and bull age.
Why would a cow not breed?
The most common cause of infertility in beef herds is poor cow nutrition. Over conditioning can also be detrimental, especially in heifers, but is far less common a problem. Body condition before calving, after calving, and at breeding can all contribute to infertility.
Can a bull be infertile?
BULL INFERTILITY. Common Causes of Infertility in the Bull. The bull’s fertility can be affected by conditions that limit his desire or ability to copulate (Impotentia Coeundi) and conditions that decrease his ability to fertilize ova (Impotentia Generandi).
Why won’t my cows get pregnant?
There are many potential explanations: anovulation, genetic predisposition, improper timing of insemination, problems with semen storage, poor artificial insemination (AI) technique, embryonic death, infection, heat stress, metabolic issues… the list goes on.
How can you tell if a bull is fertile?
After the general exam, the veterinarian will measure the bull’s scrotal circumference. Bulls with larger scrotal circumferences are more fertile and have daughters that are more fertile and mature earlier. The vet will also collect a semen sample and determine the percentage of motile sperm and normal sperm.
How can I make my bull more fertile?
Zinc supplementation has been shown to increase ejaculate volume, sperm concentration and motility in bulls. Furthermore, chelated/organic sources of zinc supplementation resulted in more improved fertility than did inorganic sources alone (Arthington et al., 2002).
How do you test a bull for fertility?
How can bulls improve fertility?
Why are my cows not getting pregnant?
How do you tell if a bull is breeding?
Look for raised hair, mud or bare patches over the female’s hindquarters. Also an indication of mating and estrus activity, it is another useful way to see if a cow has been serviced or not. These characteristics should be used to note breeding activity, but only if there is a breeding bull with the females.
How much does it cost to Fertility test a bull?
around $50 each
A breeding soundness exam, or fertility test, and a trich test usually cost around $50 each. On deciding when to get a bull soundness exam, Fernandez advises beef producers to conduct these fertility tests on all bulls every year.
How long is a bull fertile?
Breeding bulls can remain fertile with high quality semen for ten plus years. However, breeding bulls may exhibit infertility at any age. Low fertility can be caused by a number of factors including, frost damaged testicles, testicular infection, poor nutrition, physical injury and genetic predisposition.
How do you make a cow more fertile?
Another method for enhancing reproductive performance potential is to simply breed heifers as yearlings in a short breeding season (45 days). In other words, if you make it difficult for heifers to breed the first time, only the most fertile will enter the herd.
Can a bull breed his daughter?
The most common parent-offspring mating is the breeding of a bull to his own daughters. This often happens in small “single bull” herds and occurs more rapidly than most people realize. When replacement heifers are kept from within the herd, close inbreeding will occur when a bull is used for three or more years.
What happens if a bull doesn’t breed?
“Bulls can get sick, or become injured or lame. The breeding season is a stressful time,” he says. A BSE doesn’t assess libido, but it’s just as important as fertility, the specialists say. After all, a fertile, sound bull won’t sire any calves if he doesn’t actually breed cows.
Can a yearling bull get a cow bred?
Having a yearling bull in the pasture with a three- and four-year-old adds up to 100 months, but the yearling will likely get no cows bred due to dominance issues by the older bulls. The final bull problem is lack of libido. These bulls generally get some cows bred but not enough.
What is the problem with bulls?
The final bull problem is lack of libido. These bulls generally get some cows bred but not enough. To diagnose this problem, place a group of open cows with the bull (s) in question.
How do you keep Bull Bulls away from cows?
Often small producers with limited pastures have a difficult time housing the bull when not breeding. Also when the bull is held behind traditional fences, he often escapes and breeds cows out of season. Perhaps the easiest way to keep the bull away from cows is with electric fencing.