Buyer’s Guide: The Basics of Selecting a Bull
3 min read
jp5beefmasters
Finding and buying a bull for your beef herd is possibly one of the most critical decisions you will ever make. Thus, you cannot make a rushed or ill-informed decision when buying a bull. You need not only a proper genetic background but also a proven record to purchase a bull.
Getting a bull with a weak genetic base and poor performance can prolong the improvements in your herd for many years. Buy breed bull Huntsville providing top-quality cattle with excellent herd management. The expense of buying a bull might appear high at first.
Buyer’s Guide
However, that cost gradually becomes smaller when you spread it across the bull’s calf crop over a period of three to five years. Your bull contributes around one-half of your calf crop’s genetic makeup and might sire up to 40 or more calves every year. Therefore, it is evident that a bull is the most significant component of your herd.
The ideal way to maintain efficiency in the present beef market is to continue producing more pounds of product per cow exposed. That can be quite challenging if you don’t have a superior bull. Bulls provide the largest percentage of calf crop genetics.
That is why they are incredibly crucial in selecting a herd size that can lead to the desired offspring. The basics to selecting the ideal bull include parentage or pedigree, breed type, genetics, performance records, and physical appearance. There are over sixty different varieties of beef cattle breeds in the United States.
Selecting Breed
Thus, selecting a breed can be a challenging task. You can buy breed bull Huntsville and simplify the process of breed selection by picking a group that fulfills your marketing goals and ranch production. Then you go ahead and pick a breed within that specific category. When it comes to the physical appearance of your bull, an important thing to examine is its structural correctness.
If there is no structural correctness, the bull will not be able to perform or last as long as you expect it to. Your bull must have a good shoulder structure. The front legs should be at a right angle from the assumed line from the top of their shoulder to the elbow.
Also, the front two legs should be parallel to each other in a structurally viable bull. Furthermore, the bull should be thick in the middle and appear masculine. A flat, wide, and sturdy back is a sign of excellent muscling. Moreover, the upper arm circumference is a pretty decent indicator of bull muscling. The width of the shoulders is not that significant when it comes to muscularity.
In addition, reproductive evaluation is used to measure the bull’s sexual potential. You can do a breeding soundness evaluation for this purpose. You can request the results of an updated breeding soundness exam from your potential vendor when considering a bull. You want to select a bull that offers excellent economic value.
Choose the ones that have passed the breeding soundness evaluation and have a good health program. Note that the selection objectives must be stationary targets. Don’t continually pick traits unless you have an insight as to how economically viable they are.
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