Are your bulls ready to do their job?

Calving should be finishing up for the most part, and pairs have been turned out to pasture. Now it’s time to start working on next year. Breeding season will be upon us soon, so take a little time and look at your breeding plan. Hopefully you have had a good breeder mineral in front of your cows for a while now and you have them in good shape. The only other thing that needs attention would be your bulls, they are often overlooked for most of the year. But think how important they are to your success, without them you would be out of business. If you haven’t scheduled for breeding soundness exams, it’s time. Work with your veterinarian on if and what vaccinations, dewormers, and other health products they would need to keep them healthy. If you have them dry lotted on a grain ration, start backing the grain off and gradually transition them to a forage diet. Sudden changes in nutrition can lead to foot and respiratory issues, it can also impact sperm quality. Research has shown that even low-level acidosis can affect sperm quality for up to 88 days. Another area to affect reproductive health is condition and physical shape. They need to be in good condition, but not overly conditioned, fat has a negative result on reproductive health. A successful bull must be treated like an athlete, he should be trim and in good physical shape to perform at the level you expect out of him. The goal should be to have every cow bred in a short window of time. Well prepared cows and bulls are how we achieve this goal. Let SFG help you with these goals. Call Mike or Myself with any nutritional needs for your livestock.