Bull Health Checklist
By Kristin Lewis Hawkins
A bull can be one the most important influences on the profit and success of your operation. Without bulls, you have no calves. Without calves, you have no profit. You have made a weighty investment! Do not short change yourself by not following a basic checklist when it comes to the health of your bull.
If you are bringing in a new bull, it can be well worth selecting one from a reputable, dependable program with a proven history. Talk to the seller and get as much background on the bull and his cohorts as possible. Talk to other buyers and see what they have experienced.
Get in contact with a veterinarian
If you do not already have a local veterinarian, get in touch with one! This should be your first step in any health checklist concerning your entire herd. It is critical to have a relationship established with someone you trust and who understands your operation. Sit down with him or her and talk about your goals and limits. Consultation fees are often much lower in the long run when compared to the cost of a disease outbreak or lost calving season.
Run through a variety of scenarios and discuss your comfort levels and bottom line. Having plans and procedures in place help prepare you for emergencies down the road and can save time and money. Plus, it can be much less stressful on you, your vet, and your bull when everyone is on the same page.
Breeding soundness evaluation (BSE)
Whether you have bought a new bull or decided to bring one in from a back pasture, you should have a breeding soundness evaluation (BSE) performed. Some problems, injuries, and illness are not easily distinguished by the naked eye. You may have gambled on untested bulls and won so far, but all it would take is one sub-optimal bull wasting your — and your cows’ — time, as well as costing you much more cash than the initial fee of the exam. He could look more than capable of handling the job, but after you have turned him out is not the time to figure out he is not up to the task.
An exam will give you an accurate overview of a bull’s structural soundness, assess his ability to cover cows and verify his fertility level. And while most believe an initial exam is enough to cover multiple breeding seasons, this can be a costly mistake. An exam should be performed before each breeding season to ensure that nothing has changed in a bull that was previously sound. Weather, injuries, illness, age, and several other factors can change the breeding ability of a bull from season to season.
Health and vaccination plan
Bull health should be an important factor in an overall herd health plan and needs to include consistent testing and vaccination.
At the top of this list is testing for trichomoniasis, also known as trich, a venereal disease in cattle caused by the organism Tritrichomonas foetus. If you have bought a new bull, he likely comes with a negative trich test, unless he is very young or has been certified a virgin.
While there are rules in place that require trich testing for animals in various situations, this does not cover bulls that have not changed possession, ownership, or location. However, there are still ways for bulls to acquire an infection without ever leaving your pasture. A trich infection in your herd usually has no outward symptoms and can go undetected, causing infected females to abort early in pregnancy. Consistent testing for trich should be an integral step in your total herd health plan.
Testing should also be considered for additional serious pathogens and diseases like bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) or leptospirosis. Consult with your veterinarian for recommended tests.
If you have purchased a new bull, it is hoped that he arrived with a complete list of vaccination and booster information. Ultimately, producers should consult with a veterinarian about a comprehensive vaccination program to ensure that the bull is fully protected from anything thrown his way, especially if he has been introduced to a new region. He could pick up something he had not encountered in his home area.
Blackleg, 5-Way, 7-Way, Vibriosis, infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR), bovine viral diarrhea (BVD), pinkeye — never assume that everyone vaccinates for the same things or in the same way. Tradition and cost often dictate what vaccinations cattle receive, and even the best protocols can fail for a variety of reasons. Following a thorough vaccination schedule according to proper Beef Quality Assurance guidelines is just good insurance.
Nutrition considerations
If you purchased a new bull, it is likely he will be transported to a new location and exposed to different sources and types of forage. While it helps to know what sort of feed he was getting, you should also keep in mind what he will need for the future.
A new bull could have looked robust at the sale but after a week in a new pasture walking on different terrain in a hotter climate, he has likely lost some of that condition. He may need some additional supplementation or support as he makes the transition to his new job. He will need a bit extra in the tank when he is turned out with the cows, but not too much. Overfeeding can cause structural problems and lowered libido or sperm quality.
Consult with your veterinarian or beef cattle specialist if you have questions about developing a nutrition plan to best suit your situation.
Comprehensive parasite control protocol
A heavy parasite load can sap the performance of your bull. Consult your local veterinarian about what parasites they have encountered in your area and develop a plan for management. This includes internal parasites, such as flukes and worms, and external parasites, like ticks and flies.
Parasites differ in their distribution regionally, seasonally and by species. What you have been doing for a few years may not work today. Fecal egg counts can give you an idea of what internal parasites you are working with and can allow you to see if your plan is working.
The cost of deworming can more than pay for itself by keeping a bull in good condition and it gives him a head start on the breeding season. Nutrition and parasites are closely linked and could silently rob you of bull performance, production time and money.
Quarantine and biosecurity measures
If you are introducing a new bull to your operation, proper biosecurity measures should be followed. This will include a quarantine period to allow the animal to deal with any potential illnesses and pathogens without infecting the rest of your herd. It will also allow the bull to settle into his new routine and surroundings, as well as figure out where to access water and feed. This way he can devote his full attention to the work at hand and not be distracted.
Two weeks is the minimum, with one month being ideal. Quarantine bulls until they have been tested for trich. This includes isolation from other bulls, if he is a new bull to your operation. Treat each new animal as suspect until he proves himself clean with testing and making it through an uneventful quarantine period.
While a good cow can produce a weaned calf that has a positive influence on your operation, a bull influences every calf in your herd and can make or break your bottom line all on his own. Do yourself — and him — a favor by making his health and well-being a priority well before breeding season. He may not thank you, but your bottom line will.
Bull Health Checklist is excerpted from the October 2018 issue of The Cattleman magazine.