NORTHERN "AG" EXPOSURE

by Mark Miller
Rolette County Extension Agent

Bull Care

After the breeding season, many producers would like to forget about their breeding bulls, and some do. They become a hassle, as no one really wants them in the way. How much easier it is to push them to the back forty and worry about them next spring.

Although it is apparent that breeding bulls do not require a lot of extra attention in the off-season, some care must be fulfilled in order to reduce costs for the next year. Most breeding commences in the spring or early summer, and extends for two to three more months. Even with a 60-day pre-breeding conditioning period this still leaves approximately seven months of post breeding. These are usually the fall and winter months. After the completion of the breeding season, old or crippled bulls should be sorted off and sold. Mature healthy bulls won’t require a lot of extra care, so they could go by themselves.

This leaves the younger, thinner bulls to work with. These are the ones that should receive a little higher quality feed through the winter to increase years of productivity. Proper balanced nutrition, including minerals, should be available to assure optimum reproductive performance.

Nutrition begins with adequate amounts of feed. For example, a 1300 pound bull needing to gain 1.5 pounds per day needs 26.1 pounds of dry matter, of which 2 pounds (7.9 percent) needs to be protein and 15.6 pounds (59.7 percent) needs to be TDN or energy. A larger bull, say 1900 pounds, needing to gain 0.5 pounds per day needs 32.2 pounds of dry matter, of which 2.2 pounds (6.9 percent) needs to be protein and 16.8 pounds (52 percent) needs to be TDN or energy.

Shelter is also an overlooked aspect. Testicles can be easily frozen in this part of the Midwest, so some bedding and shelter are  important. Remember, bulls constitute 50 percent of next year’s calf crop. Wise management practices can reduce variable costs, resulting in greater overall revenue.

Bull care and nutrition needs to start now, not next spring prior to bull turnout. Bulls need to be physically healthy, athletic in nature and conditioned for a vigorous marathon. Bulls that are mismanaged, and the spermatogenic cycle disrupted, would need a minimum of two months to start having a viable sperm supply for proper conception of the following year’s calf crop.

Crop Production Guides

The 2002 Crop Production Guides are now available for ten dollars from the Extension Service. The Production Guides give yield data from all the sites in the state  of the crops in North Dakota. The Weed Control Guide, Fungicide Guide and Insect Guide are also in the book.

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Updated January 4, 2002 Shelley Armstrong ,Webmaster