My 14 mth old bull fails BSE for quality sperm. What now?

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BARNSCOOP

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My 14 month old Shorthorn bull failed a BSE because of poor quality sperm. The vet said he could have had a fever in the last 54 days. I have to have him retested in June. Has anyway had this happen before?
 
there are meny unknown reasons for a bull to not pass his BSE exame.but if he fails the BSE in june id ship him.ive known of a few bulls that was tested an failed the exams twice.an if he passes id want an 85 or better.
 
Today was the first time he has been collected. He is in with a group of steers now and has not bred a cow . Could this have anything to do with the poor quailty?
 
BARNSCOOP":3w7dir31 said:
Today was the first time he has been collected. He is in with a group of steers now and has not bred a cow . Could this have anything to do with the poor quailty?

It could if you are fattening those steers for slaughter and your bull is too fat. Do you feed cotton seed to your steers? That will negatively affect the bull.

This may be the first time he was collected, but if he has adequate libido it's not the first time he's "cleaned his pipes".
 
What exactly besides he could have had a fever in the last 54 days did they tell you? Did he have primary or secondary abnormalties? Some of these can be corrected from everything to letting him breed a cow and get cleaned out to feeding him a high powered mineral to boost semen quality. I would think the vet would have had to have told you more that the fever thing if he knew what you were trying to accomplish with this bull.


Circle H Ranch
 
The low quality sperm is seen very often a for a few months after a bull has had footrot (or any other infection causing a high fever), but footrot if a very common cause. If the bull was overconditioned I would expect that the semen wouldn't freeze well rather than to have such low quality sperm to fail a BSE.

When do you need him to work? Anyway you can test him on a few cows before the actual start of the breeding season. Have you spoken with the breeder yet?
 
How much do you think your 14 month old bull weighs?? Maybe he's not developed enough. If he's with other animals, surely he has ejaculated many times if he has any libido. Like someone else asked, when do you NEED him? Did you raise him or buy him?
 
Did you get a scrotal measurement, check his temp. High temp will lead to poor semen count. Some bulls also mature faster then others he could just be slow in developement. Just a few thoughts that might help.
 
BARNSCOOP":p21755zm said:
My 14 month old Shorthorn bull failed a BSE because of poor quality sperm. The vet said he could have had a fever in the last 54 days. I have to have him retested in June. Has anyway had this happen before?

Yes. Our vet says that first sample from young virgin bulls is sometimes weak because it's been in there a long time. Can you put him with some cows to breed or at least stimulate him before the next test? Or he may just be a slower maturing animal.
 
I purchased this bull when he was 6 months old. He turned one year on February 4th. I had him in with cows that were ready to calve but after the calving started he stole milk from two of the cows so yesterday after the vet visit I put him in with the steers. All the cattle have free choice loose minerals all the time and they are fed a mixed grain feed (20 gallons to 13 head daily) just so I can see them everyday. It does contain 11.07% whole cottonseed. The steers are fed free choice grain. The BSE reads: Body condition-good(6), scrotal circumference-35, motility gross-good, motility individual-75, normal cells-32, primary abnormalities-56, secondary abnormalities-12, and all the other references are good . they gave him a classification deferred until June. I need a bull in June. The breeder has offered to give me a calf of my choice or my moneyback if the next test is bad. I have never seen any signs he could have had a fever. The vet did not take his temp. What minerals can you give them to boost sperm count? I believe it is quality sperm I need, it seems his amount is good.
 
Thank you for the link Jeanne. I looked at all three . It is to my understanding that the glossypol reduces the sperm count and delays maturity in young bulls. I amnot sure that is what is going on with my bull sence he seems to have a good sperm count only alot of abnormal sperm. I believe I will pull him out with a single steer and change their feed anyway.

I have more of a problem with the cows letting him suck than I do him sucking. I caught a young (12 month old) heifer sucking one of the same cows. I have no more places to separate these animals. I need the calves they are raising now but if it happens next year I will cull the cows.
 
double v":3imke0wc said:
Did you get a scrotal measurement, check his temp. High temp will lead to poor semen count. Some bulls also mature faster then others he could just be slow in developement. Just a few thoughts that might help.

Some guys around here sell yearling BA bulls w/o a BSE, but will replace them if they fail a test during the next year. These yearling bulls are usually average about 1050 pounds and are pretty fleshy.

What is a reasonable age for the first BSE?
If the bull is not used for a while, or you have a spring and a fall herd, how long would you go before having him retested?
 
Young bulls often fail BSE's just due to lack of maturity. They some times have what looks like a small droplet attached to the back of the head of the sperm that is classified as a primary abnormality. This is common in 14 month old bulls. If this is why he failed the BSE, he should grow out of it soon. I would not worry about it but would retest him in 3 months and watch the cows for return to heat.
He may well be able to bread cows now.
 
alabama":31nsgf0c said:
Young bulls often fail BSE's just due to lack of maturity. They some times have what looks like a small droplet attached to the back of the head of the sperm that is classified as a primary abnormality. This is common in 14 month old bulls. If this is why he failed the BSE, he should grow out of it soon. I would not worry about it but would retest him in 3 months and watch the cows for return to heat.
He may well be able to bread cows now.

Never had any problems with our Red Poll bulls passing BSE at 12 months. Could be because early maturing is one of their traits.
 
You are correct!! His primary abnormality was the droplets or tears on the sperm tails. The vet showed me some pictures. Maybe their is hope he will pass in June.
 

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