One testicle

[Anonymous]

I have purchased a 10 month old angus bull calf intending to breed my two cows this spring, and fill my freezer in the fall. He looks like a little bull, with a small hump on his neck, and he is very interested in my cows, but he has only one testicle, the other is tiny and way up high next to his abdomen. Can he settle the cows? The calves will be for beef, not replacements. Thanks!

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[Anonymous]

Usually one testicle is plenty adequate, hence Dun's advice to always "count to two" when banding. The only way to know for sure that he can sire is to let him do his business and see if it takes.

Craig-TX

 

[Anonymous]

Have a vet perform a Breeding Soundness Exam. Who knows whatever other problems may be lurking in this one nut wonder

dun

> I have purchased a 10 month old
> angus bull calf intending to breed
> my two cows this spring, and fill
> my freezer in the fall. He looks
> like a little bull, with a small
> hump on his neck, and he is very
> interested in my cows, but he has
> only one testicle, the other is
> tiny and way up high next to his
> abdomen. Can he settle the cows?
> The calves will be for beef, not
> replacements. Thanks!

 

[Anonymous]

ANY bull intended for breeding needs a breeding soundness exam (BSE) by a veterinarian. That is the ONLY way you will know whether or not this bull is fertile.

The retained testicle probably won't produce any viable sperm due to the higher temperatures associated with its location in the body. The other testicle may or may not be able to produce viable sperm.

If you are ever tempted to keep any of his progeny, bear in mind cryptorchid is a highly heritable genetic fault.

> I have purchased a 10 month old
> angus bull calf intending to breed
> my two cows this spring, and fill
> my freezer in the fall. He looks
> like a little bull, with a small
> hump on his neck, and he is very
> interested in my cows, but he has
> only one testicle, the other is
> tiny and way up high next to his
> abdomen. Can he settle the cows?
> The calves will be for beef, not
> replacements. Thanks!

 

[Anonymous]

> ANY bull intended for breeding
> needs a breeding soundness exam
> (BSE) by a veterinarian. That is
> the ONLY way you will know whether
> or not this bull is fertile.

> The retained testicle probably
> won't produce any viable sperm due
> to the higher temperatures
> associated with its location in
> the body. The other testicle may
> or may not be able to produce
> viable sperm.

> If you are ever tempted to keep
> any of his progeny, bear in mind
> cryptorchid is a highly heritable
> genetic fault.

Maybe if cryptorchidism is highly heritable, that indicates that the cryptorchid is fertile enough that cryptorchidism is passed on, rather then wiped out. If it really interfered with fertility, it would eliminate itself, does that make sense? I will not be keeping any heifers from him, that's for sure! And yes, I feel like an idiot for buying a bull with only one ball!

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[Anonymous]

No, you can't take the statement that cryptorchidism is highly heritable and extrapolate it into the statement that all cryptorchids are highly fertile, or even moderately fertile.

A cryptorchid is often sub-fertile, not fertile. This means he can breed with less success than a normal bull.

This still does not make the cryptorchid an animal you want for breeding. And, most farmers don't want the trait, because it can be difficult and sometimes expensive to castrate a cryptorchid. No farmer needs or wants more expense and trouble.

We had one cryptorchid & put him in the freezer.

> Maybe if cryptorchidism is highly
> heritable, that indicates that the
> cryptorchid is fertile enough that
> cryptorchidism is passed on,
> rather then wiped out. If it
> really interfered with fertility,
> it would eliminate itself, does
> that make sense? I will not be
> keeping any heifers from him,
> that's for sure! And yes, I feel
> like an idiot for buying a bull
> with only one ball!

 

[Anonymous]

> No, you can't take the statement
> that cryptorchidism is highly
> heritable and extrapolate it into
> the statement that all
> cryptorchids are highly fertile,
> or even moderately fertile.

> A cryptorchid is often
> sub-fertile, not fertile. This
> means he can breed with less
> success than a normal bull.

> This still does not make the
> cryptorchid an animal you want for
> breeding. And, most farmers don't
> want the trait, because it can be
> difficult and sometimes expensive
> to castrate a cryptorchid. No
> farmer needs or wants more expense
> and trouble.

> We had one cryptorchid & put
> him in the freezer.

I did a search and an agricultural bulletin said cryptorchids are nearly as fertile as normal bulls, and did you know t.b racehorses are sometimes partly castrated, one testicle removed, because some believe they will run faster in hot weather if they are not knocking together? Sounds wacky but I didn't make it up. They will still be used as studs. Thanks, I will be putting him in the freezer, but don't they all end up there sooner or later?



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[Anonymous]

Ok, just saw this odd discussion... One way of looking at this is that cryptorchidism is a weakness, and should not be propagated. Another is that it is a swift route to cancer--there is a very high risk in the retained testicle due to higher internal temperatures. Yet another is that it will negatively affect the offspring for potentially generations to come, costing the entire industry--who buys the defective calves, breeds them etc. Just because an animal CAN breed never means that they SHOULD breed. And just because every animal eventually goes to slaughter doesn't mean that inferior ones shouldn't go faster.

And on a side note, castrating one side of a racehorse is a totally different proposition, in that removing a HEALTHY NORMAL testicle and leaving a HEALTHY NORMAL testicle behind does not in any way decrease the genetic merit, however if the horse were cryptorchid and that one was removed, it does invalidate any genetic merit in the horse industry.

JMHO V

 

[Anonymous]

Wow, what a good discussion.

great point Vicky.

There are also instances wher a good testicle gets stepped on, damaged, and the body absorbs the damages tissue, but the remaining testicle is still viable and the bull remains in useful service. I saw this not too long ago, a man was using an older Brahman Herd sire with just one, when I asked about it he explained what had happened, he tests him every year, the bull produced F-1's ( Hereford) for him which he then breeds to a Limousin, the cross works very well for him and since he only has 20 Herefords the bulls is not over taxed with his work load.

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