Though their job for the year may be done their management does not end. Things like where and how you will keep bulls over the winter months should be considered. It is also a good idea to look at your operation and decide if even keeping him or replacing him is needed.
What you do during this time can impact the readiness of your spring breeding season. If the bull is not in the right shape he will not be servicing the cows. If the cows are not getting serviced then that means that next year’s calf crop will be limited. Here are some things that you can do to make sure that he is ready to go.
Bull Health
While you are pulling the bulls off of the pasture you should check them for lameness. This is especially important if your herds have to cover a lot of acreages and/or you may have some rough pasture. The bull must be able to move around the pasture fairly easily in order to do his job. A major reason for culling bulls is their foot and leg problems. Some signs of lameness may be hard to identify but by watching the other cows the differences can become more obvious.
This is the perfect time to perform a breeding soundness exam. The purpose of this test is to determine the breeding potential of a bull. It consists of a physical examination of his reproductive organs. He is measured for his scrotal circumference and his semen is evaluated for quality I talk about this subject in more detail in a previous post “Don’t forget about the bull”.
Herd health plan
Taking care of both the internal and external parasites will help improve performance. This helps keep bulls healthy and prevent the spread of diseases throughout the herd. Parasite control should include de-worming at least twice a year to get better control. Depending on your area you may need to consider a grubicide and lice application. Treatment for external parasites not only prevents performance losses but also improves the appearance of the bull.
Having a good herd health program in place is always a good idea. You should talk with your local veterinarian to map out what diseases are common in your area. Some common types you may come across in your herd are IBR, BVD, PI3, and BRSV. You should administer this vaccine annually during the BSE evaluation of your bulls. Some areas require annual leptospirosis (5-Way) vaccinations, while others need it every three to six months. The Trichomoniasis vaccine is always a good idea for your breeding herd.
Nutrition
Depending on the forage conditions your bull may be in a lower BCS after breeding season. According to the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, bulls can be expected to lose between 100-400lbs during the course of the breeding season. It should be a priority to get him back into a BCS of 6. You will need to take stock of where you currently are and where you need to be to formulate a plan.
Your cattle may not be able to meet their protein and energy needs during this time due to forages losing most of their nutritional value. This means that you may have to supplement to meet his needs. If you need protein supplements, you can use range cubes or even lick tubs. If energy is lacking then you will need to have a more roughage-based diet to take care of that.
Nutrition factors
Factors such as his size and age will determine what kind of supplement you will need. A yearling bull will need more nutrition than say a mature one. This is because the yearling is still growing so will need a lot higher quality food to get him going. It goes without saying but the larger he will be the means that he will need more feed just to meet his basic maintenance requirements. It is for this reason that you see the trend where people are going for the smaller framed cows.
During this time some people will keep the bulls with the cow herd. From a labor standpoint, it does make sense. It makes it easier not to have to cover more areas but this will not always work. As your cows reach the 3rd trimester their supplement needs will become different from the bull’s needs. The supplements they will be needing will do nothing more than make them fat and that is not always a good thing. Plus you run the risk of having calves that are being born out of your designed calving season.
Bull management
When it comes to keeping a bull year-round producers have 2 options with the cows or by themselves. I mentioned earlier why it is better to keep them separate. This will give them a chance to rest and recupe from the breeding season and from any potential cows that may come open during the winter.
If you have multiple bulls it is a good idea to keep them together during this time. It gives them the chance to get their pecking order set and out of the way before the breeding season starts. I mean you want them out there servicing the cows and not fighting amongst themselves right?
You should also make them move around the pasture that you are keeping them in. This makes them keep up with a little exercise and they will be ready in the spring. You can do this by placing the water trough and their food source in different parts of the pasture. This will force them to move around.
It is also a good idea during this time to evaluate if you want to keep any of the bulls or replace them with a newer younger one. Replace the bull every four or five years, according to recommendations. This is usually the length of his abilities and prevents him from breeding his daughters. Deciding on which ones you want to replace now will give you time to shop around for the next bull.
Should I cull or not?
When it comes to making this decision you should look at all of the factors. For starters, you need to look at where your operation is genetically and where you would like for it to go. If there is a gap between these two then you may have to consider getting rid of the bull that you currently have.
Next, look at his overall structure and soundness. A bull will do you no good if he is not able to get around the pasture and do his job. Look for things like him walking around stiff-legged or taking short strides. Ultimately the decision on whether to get rid of him or not will rest entirely on you. The bull alone will account for half of the genetics of your herd so you better choose wisely.