Bull age for breeding.

[herofan]

At what age can a bull effectively start breeding a herd? Does it vary by breed?

 

[elkwc]

It varies. Many factors enter in. I've always been taught to wait until they were 12 months old and then 1 cow per month of age after that. If using young it is wise to test them. I didn't this summer but have watched closely and feel he is getting everything bred as I don't see them coming back in heat. That is for a well developed bull. I've seen some bulls that weren't ready as 2's as they had been under developed. Basically it depends a lot on the individual.

 

[Ky hills]

I have always gone with the thinking that if a bull has passed a BSE then an average decent shape 1 yr old bull should be able to breed 10-12 in a timely fashion. As Elkwck stated I have also worked with the rule of one head per month of age on bulls a little over a year old.

 

[Son of Butch]

At what age can a bull effectively start breeding a herd?
On average about 300 days, but most consider 12 months as the minimum to be safe.
Herd size also matters and I prefer 15 months.

Does it vary by breed?
Yes, puberty varies by breed. Puberty is defined as the age at which a bull can produce an ejaculation
of 50 million sperm, with at least 10% mobility and bulls will usually show an interest in breeding 3-4 weeks
before reaching puberty.

Average puberty of bulls by breed and age.
Charolais 287 days aka 9.6 months
Angus 295 days aka 9.9 months
Hereford 326 days aka 10.9 months

Maximum number of cows by age of bull: 10-40 cows
Rule of thumb: 1 cow per month of age starting at 12 months, 24 at 24 months ect.
Bulls reach full sexual maturity at age 3 and barring illness or injury should not start declining for another 4-5 years
although overfeeding/underfeeding will also hurt fertility.