Chapin81
Well-known member
I have two young Brahman bulls—half-brothers—who are now showing significant testicular asymmetry, and I'm getting concerned. Both have one testicle that's much larger than the other, and it's always on the same side. The swelling appears persistent and has worsened over time.
When they first arrived, only one bull had a slightly larger testicle, which I assumed was normal. The other had even-sized testicles. But by August 2024, we began noticing that both bulls had one visibly swollen testicle, and the swelling has never really gone down.
One of the bulls also arrived with a copper wire in his ear, like an "earring." I was told it was left over from when he had been "sick" and treated, but it was never removed. The other bull has a similar hole in the same ear, but no wire.
I was just told today both bulls were vaccinated against brucellosis, but now I'm wondering if this could be something more serious—such as testicular hypoplasia or even a heritable issue. I've contacted the breeder, but only spoke with their representative. As a buyer, I was never told about any previous illness, which should have been disclosed or else I would have never purchased them.
To protect the future fertility and genetic integrity of my herd, I'm now seriously considering culling any female calves sired by these bulls—at least until I understand what's going on. I can't afford to let possible reproductive defects pass on to the next generation or am I wrong?
Has anyone experienced something similar—persistent testicular swelling, asymmetry, or any link to certain bloodlines? Could this be genetic, or from a prior infection?
What would you do in my situation?
You can see one of the bulls one testicle is huge IMO compared to the other. Also none of the bulls are lame and are thin but only because our summers are very dry and forage is low.
When they first arrived, only one bull had a slightly larger testicle, which I assumed was normal. The other had even-sized testicles. But by August 2024, we began noticing that both bulls had one visibly swollen testicle, and the swelling has never really gone down.
One of the bulls also arrived with a copper wire in his ear, like an "earring." I was told it was left over from when he had been "sick" and treated, but it was never removed. The other bull has a similar hole in the same ear, but no wire.
I was just told today both bulls were vaccinated against brucellosis, but now I'm wondering if this could be something more serious—such as testicular hypoplasia or even a heritable issue. I've contacted the breeder, but only spoke with their representative. As a buyer, I was never told about any previous illness, which should have been disclosed or else I would have never purchased them.
To protect the future fertility and genetic integrity of my herd, I'm now seriously considering culling any female calves sired by these bulls—at least until I understand what's going on. I can't afford to let possible reproductive defects pass on to the next generation or am I wrong?
Has anyone experienced something similar—persistent testicular swelling, asymmetry, or any link to certain bloodlines? Could this be genetic, or from a prior infection?
What would you do in my situation?You can see one of the bulls one testicle is huge IMO compared to the other. Also none of the bulls are lame and are thin but only because our summers are very dry and forage is low.
the vet did say he was going to go over everything with me once onsite maybe prevent this from happening again. I guess I have to be more careful next time when I buy and who is transporting them, I'm kinda pissed off as well since I haven't heard back from the breeder even though I reached out to them to remind them. At least to me it wasn't chump change I spent on purchasing them.
I'm going to be much more cautious going forward before bringing in any new cattle to my property.
