Testing a Bull

Help Support CattleToday:

ROB

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 22, 2006
Messages
497
Reaction score
0
Location
Missouri
at what age could a fertility test be done on a bull you are raising? (the earliest age you would consider having it done)

thanks,
ROB
 
Around 11-12 months. But there are those that claim if you test them to young they'll go sterile so they wait till they're 18 months or so.
 
as dun said you can test them at 12 months.but i would not test them that young.id wait till they are 16 to 18 months old an then test them.
 
i tested one at about 18 months when i turned out with cows. he failed that test so i took him to the vet for a second opinion. failed it too. would have been nice to know earlier, but i had always heard bad things could result from testing too young. weigh up price for bulls is not the best right now. sure doesn't cover the feed costs, registration, health vacc., etc..... for an animal going on two years old.

ROB
 
hmmm...what would make them go sterile?? Cystic testicles?? Displaced testicles?? Never heard this myself. Maybe it's sort of like telling a little boy he'll go blind. :lol:
 
Its very much a case of how the bull was developed, some bulls raised optimally freeze semen at 10 months old. Typically under farm raised conditions bulls should be virile and fertile at 12 months. I test my bulls that I plan to use at 13-14 months (about a month before the start of the breeding season).

If ayoung bull doesn't test off the charts I wouldn't neccesarily cull him, but rather have him tested again in two months time, not all bulls develope at the same pace and age.
 
If it was one I owned/raised, I would probably have him tested a few weeks before he gets his first working job. That way, you would still have time to replace him if necessary.
 
TexasBred":256vrw1q said:
hmmm...what would make them go sterile?? Cystic testicles?? Displaced testicles?? Never heard this myself. Maybe it's sort of like telling a little boy he'll go blind. :lol:

And give him hairy palms.
 
I agree with Knersie. Our bull test draws semen around 11-14 months of age. But, as stated, depends on the individual animal and how well they were raised out. If they are just reaching 1000# at 2 years of age, I wouldn't expect them to have fared very well at being tested at 1 year of age. But, these bulls that are 1000# - 1400# as yearlings, should get a fair test.
 
We test all our bulls 4 weeks before it's time for them to go to work. Most of the time our bulls do not get to play till the second year.
 
dun":3gqh1ybd said:
TexasBred":3gqh1ybd said:
hmmm...what would make them go sterile?? Cystic testicles?? Displaced testicles?? Never heard this myself. Maybe it's sort of like telling a little boy he'll go blind. :lol:

And give him hairy palms.

or hairy heel warts in case of bullcalves?
 
The first bull we bought when we I couldn;t AI everything asnymore was tested at 11 months, had a scrotal of 39 inches, I don;t remember the other numbers but when I showed it to our vet he was impressed with the numbers. He settled everything in short order. The bull we have now wasn;t tested till 2, scrotal was 42 but the vet that did the test just labled it passed. He managed to get everything settled too. The little bull we have now, if he stays a bull, will be tested at 11-12 months before he gets turned out with his few girls.
 
AGE isn't as important as GROWTH for his age & BREED. If you have a poorly grown out bull, he might not test well till he is 18 months. But, a well grown bull can easily be tested at a much younger age.
Also, BREED. Some breeds sexually mature faster. Most people "assume" that if it's a Continental breed, it's sexually mature later. Not so with the Simmental. they are the earliest Continental - even earlier than Herefords.
So, there is no PAT answer - different for different bulls.
 

Latest posts

Top