By ALICIA BOOR
Cottonwood Extension
Before a student-athlete is allowed to join a sports team, they have to complete an annual physical to make sure there aren’t any underlying conditions that could keep them from being able to fully participate.
For beef producers who want their herd to be successful during the breeding season, that means an annual breeding soundness exam, which includes a semen check and overall health assessment by a veterinarian.
Kansas State University Beef Cattle Institute experts recommend producers complete this assessment around six weeks ahead of the time bulls will be turned out on pasture with the females. They also recommend producers look at records on the bulls, assess their current body condition, and study the animal’s movement.
“When making a decision about a bull beyond conducting a breeding soundness exam, it is good to look at the bull’s records and look for any changes in the measurement of his scrotal circumference,” K-State veterinarian Bob Larson said.
He said that a decrease in scrotal circumference in a mature bull could indicate a significant issue that needs further investigation.
“If there is a problem, the testicles can either be a little softer or harder than normal, and there could also be sperm defects that will be noticed under a microscope,” Larson said.
At that six-week evaluation, it is important to assess the bull’s body condition, K-State beef cattle nutritionist Phillip Lancaster said.
“Going into the breeding season, the bulls should be at a body condition score six, which is a little above average,” Lancaster said. “We want them to be a little over-conditioned now because, during the breeding season, they will expel a lot of energy chasing females, causing them to lose weight.
”If bulls are in lighter condition, Lancaster recommends supplementing the bulls half to three-quarters of a percent of their body weight to get them to gain half a pound per day during the next 30 days.
“If the bulls are extra thin coming off grass in the summer, then the producer will need to get them back in condition next fall and winter,” Lancaster said.
Along with scrotal circumference, semen evaluation, and body condition, bulls should be routinely checked for feet and leg movement, K-State veterinarian Brian Lubbers said.
“If you are detecting upper limb lameness six weeks out, that is going to be hard to correct between now and pasture turnout,” Lubbers said. “Injuries can happen anytime, so bulls need to be continually assessed for their movement.”
To do that Lubbers recommends studying how the bulls walk coming to and leaving the chute. “If the bull has a foreign body in the foot like a rock or nail, or a sole abscess, we can correct those now so that he will likely be sound in the next six weeks,” Lubbers said.
Alicia Boor is an Agriculture and Natural Resources agent in the Cottonwood District (which includes Barton and Ellis counties) for K-State Research and Extension. You can contact her by e-mail at [email protected] or calling 620-793-1910.