Bull Power: Examination of Beef Cattle Bulls for Breeding Soundness

T evaluation of bulls for breeding soundness is an effective and reliable way to identify bulls that are potentially poor breeders. This management technique can be used to greatest advantage if culling occurs before bulls are turned out with females. Also, the evaluation is an important means available to the producer for predicting bulls with satisfactory to excellent potential. This information can then be used to select superior bulls for a larger number of females, which thereby improves the efficiency of production. A breeding soundness evaluation (BSE) provides an opportunity to select against low fertility as well as to improve fertility in both males and females. It has been shown that bulls with large testicles at an early age tend to have male offspring with larger testicles and female offspring that are more fertile than progeny from bulls with small testicles. The general bull population is made up of several breeds of bulls of varying ages and sizes. There are large differences in the reproductive capacities among bulls of the same breed and age or weight. Fertility ranges from sterile and sub fertile to highly fertile within all breeds. Generally, about one or two bulls in five in an unselected population are not satisfactory because of inadequate semen quality, problems that prevent copulation, or lack of libido (sex drive). The highest incidence of satisfactory bulls is found between two and three years of age.