Service industry — how to get the best out of your bulls
A good-quality bull is a sound long-term investment — and make sure you’re not short of bull power
You can’t beat a bit of sunshine to get farmers moving. On almost every by-road this week, I had to pull in from some 100+-horsepower machine with a plough/fertiliser spreader/slurry tank attached.
The sun has sparked a great buzz of activity in the fields, and has focused everyone’s mind on the breeding season ahead.
A lot of farmers have told me that they are delighted with the high level of bulling activity they are seeing already. Breeding will begin on some farms in less than two weeks.
Nobody knows this better than the bull.
The high level of bulling activity has awakened the bull from his winter slumber. The previously dopey three-year-old bull has suddenly started to rattle the gate of the pen with his head.
He’s been sniffing the air for the last few days and his bellows are often the first thing you hear as the cows leave the paddock and head for the collecting yard to be milked.
There has been more and more emphasis placed on AI in recent times and by default, less interest in the bull.
‘Mop up’
On most dairy farms, a bull is used to ‘mop up’ once AI is finished. The farmer decides after six weeks of breeding that he/she has had enough of heat detecting and drafting cows for AI.
There will be enough replacements heifers born from what is already served, and the Angus/Hereford bull can pick up the few that are left.
If only it were as simple as this. Firstly, consider the ‘few that are left’. Take a herd of 120 cows; we assume a figure of 90pc submission rate with 60pc conception rate to AI. This means there will still be 25 cows left to serve after six weeks of breeding.
And this doesn’t take into account late calvers, poor-performing early calvers or sick cows; the real figure will be closer to 35. So when the bull is let out, he will be presented with an average of 1.7 cows per day to bull over three weeks.
Most of you reading this will say: “Sure, that’ll be no bother to my bull.” This is where a discussion begins in earnest.
Recent studies have indicated that the number of cows a mature bull can serve in a compact calving system is between 20 and 30.
If we consider the increased distances cows are being asked to walk twice daily — and by default, the bull too — the number quickly moves closer to 20.
So, in the herd we discussed above, two mature bulls will be needed to ‘mop up’. These bulls need to be rotated every few days to stop one getting too tired or injured.
As for young bulls, it doesn’t make for pleasant reading. A young bull, (ie born last spring) is only capable of dealing with 10 cows.
Now, I’ve probably lost a good few of you here. There’ll be a lot of eye-rolling and questions like: “How many bulls does he expect us to have?”
I know bulls are far from cheap and they are only needed for a very short time, but if you don’t have enough bull power, your cows will either not go in calf, or your calving spread will drag out well into April and possibly later.
When buying a young bull, think of it as a long-term investment. The first year in the herd, he should be used very sparingly — to tidy up 9-10 heifers after AI or to sub in for a mature bull for a day or two in the main herd before being rested again.
A young bull behaves very differently to the seasoned campaigner.
The mature bull will often serve a bulling cow just once and head off about his daily business.
In fact, I have often been asked to examine a mature bull to a make sure he’s able to perform because “there were three cows mad bulling and your man was away up the field, lying down chewing the cud”. On examination, the mature bull is almost always fine – he is just does what needs to be done and no more.
Contrast this with the young bull — if you see him lying down, you know there is definitely something wrong.
A young bull is like a young fella at his first disco: he can’t stand still for a second and his head is on a swivel.
This behaviour isn’t sustainable. Not only will he not be able to serve a few cows on the same day, but if he isn’t rested after 2-3 days, he will either injure himself or completely run out of energy.
Young bulls, often barely sizeable enough to bull cows, are bought because they aren’t as dear as a big, mature bull.
I remember asking a fairly astute pedigree breeder how he managed to get a sale for his smallest bull to a dairy client. His reply was: “He wanted it good and he wanted it cheap, so he got it cheap.”
What he was saying was, if you want quality, you have to pay for it.
So, after paying good money for a quality young bull, how do make sure you maximise his potential?
Firstly, when he arrives on farm, put him in a secure pen, but make sure he can see other animals.
Bear in mind that until he was loaded onto your trailer, he has most likely spent his whole life in contact with other animals. So, if you isolate him in a dark shed, it can make him quite hostile.
Once he has settled in over a few days, get your vet to perform a full Bull Breeding Soundness Exam. This is a top-to-toe examination to make sure he is physically fit for purpose; it includes an analysis of his sperm and reproductive organs.
Feeding the young bull is very important, particularly during the breeding season. Bulls will expend a lot of energy, and it has been proven that if young bulls in particular lose weight quickly, they can become sub-fertile.
Fed well
Some level of concentrate feeding is very important. Even the mature bull needs to be fed well.
If you get him into the habit of getting some concentrate on his own at milking time, it will have the added benefit of taming him, and will keep him from trying to mount bulling cows in the collecting yard, where he is much more likely to get injured.
So whether it’s a young bull at his first disco, or a more seasoned gent, they still need to be well looked after for the busy weeks ahead.
A young bull is like a young fella at his first disco, he can’t stand still for a second and his head is on a swivel