Content
When breeding cattle, it is important to take into account that the correct choice of animals plays a special role. The health and level of productivity of the young animals will depend on the selected genetic material. That is why there is a certain number of criteria that an inseminating bull taking part in breeding work must meet.
How is the selection of insemination bulls carried out?
As practice shows, the inseminating bull is the largest animal in the herd. It is important to understand that not every bull can become a sire; its selection is approached as responsibly and carefully as possible. As a rule, only those bulls are selected whose parents had unique characteristics. The mother's milk production is assessed, and the father's reproductive abilities are assessed. Also, each breed must have a certain conformation. To do this, the inseminating bull is measured:
- chest;
- pelvic bones;
- limbs;
- curved dorsal line;
- frame.
The future inseminating bull's genitals and semen quality are assessed. After collecting the seminal fluid, a series of tests are carried out to determine the activity of sperm. There should be 75% or more active cells, and they should move in the same direction.The mother's udder, shape and volume of the mammary glands, and location of the nipples are assessed.
After all the necessary checks have been carried out, the plant issues a special card for the inseminating bull. This card must contain the following parental information:
- personal number;
- nicknames;
- distinctive characteristics of father and mother.
In addition, the card subsequently notes information about the development of the inseminating bull itself and all its offspring. In addition to recording hereditary data, the performance of the daughters of the inseminating bull is checked. Milk characteristics are taken as a basis:
- take into account the number of milk yields in different lactation periods;
- milk yield weight for the entire lactation period;
- conduct studies of fat content and specific gravity of proteins;
- As an assessment, control milking is carried out.
The card of the inseminating bull indicates the number of his daughters and the highest productive indicators. If there are record holders in the breed, then this gives the father additional advantages. The following information about the inseminating bull is entered into the breeding card:
- bull's name;
- personal number by which he can be identified;
- place where you were born;
- indicate weight at the time of birth and upon reaching: 6 months, 10 months, 1 year, 1.5 years;
- dimensions at birth;
- describe the conditions in which the bull was located;
- the animal's diet until it was selected as a breeder.
The first signs of puberty in the inseminating bull begin to be noticeable when the bull reaches the age of 10 months. When a year is reached, the insemination bull begins to be used. As a rule, about 5-6 females are assigned to each inseminating bull or semen is collected.During the season, up to 35 cages can be carried out with free mating. Up to 200 cages can be carried out per year.
If seminal fluid is collected, it is subsequently stored in ampoules filled with nitrogen. After defrosting, sperm activity is checked. Thus, about 20,000 cows can be inseminated throughout the year.
Rules for keeping and caring for animals
If you create suitable housing conditions for the inseminating bull, you can increase the reproductive abilities and significantly improve the health of the animal. The process of caring for a breeding bull-inseminator includes the following mandatory items:
- Every day the inseminating bull must be washed or cleaned using a brush for this purpose. Particular attention should be paid to the head during the washing process and thoroughly wash the back of the head, forehead and the area between the horns. If these procedures are not performed, the inseminating bull may develop serious skin problems;
- Carry out regular hoof care. To avoid possible injury, the breeding bull's hooves must be trimmed regularly;
- The bull's scrotum must be washed periodically with warm water. Such manipulations make it possible to keep the genitals of the inseminating bull clean and healthy, as a result of which the mating process will be more fruitful;
- walk the bull every day, devoting a decent period of time to this. For inseminating bulls, physical activity is extremely important, because this is how you can maintain the animal’s tone, improve health, the immune system, and prevent excess weight.The walk of the inseminating bull should take 3 hours or more. The area used for walking the bull should not be less than 10 acres.
To strengthen muscle tissue, insemination bulls can be used to transport various loads. In addition, it is necessary to pay special attention to the place where it is planned to keep the inseminating bull:
- bright lighting;
- suitable temperature conditions;
- Each inseminating bull must be in a separate stall and tied with a chain. It is important to take into account that the chain must be of sufficient length, which will allow the inseminating bull to calmly move around the stall and lie down without hindrance;
- complete ventilation system;
- There are no objects or elements allowed in the stall that could cause the inseminating bull to injure himself.
If the stall for the inseminating bull is located deep in the barn, then it is necessary to provide a sufficient number of shelters along the route of the sire. This is necessary so that workers caring for animals can, if necessary, hide at the moment of aggression from the inseminating bull.
For convenience, special strong rings are installed in the nose of the inseminating bulls, which are subsequently used as a retainer when walking the bulls.
Diet
Reproduction of the herd in most cases depends not only on the sexual activity of the inseminating bull, but also on a high-quality diet. It is important to consider that the diet of inseminating bulls is significantly different from that of cows.In this case, it is necessary to take into account how often the inseminating bull is used for cages, its age, physique, and weight indicators.
There is a certain daily routine for inseminating bulls, which is not recommended to be violated:
- 00 o'clock – the bull’s first meal;
- 00-07.00 h. – the inseminating bull is resting;
- 00 o'clock – caring for inseminating bulls: cleaning the hair, trimming the hooves if necessary, washing the scrotum;
- 00-10.00 h. – time intended for walking, mating or physical work on the farm;
- 00 o'clock – second meal;
- 00-16.00 h. – the inseminating bull is resting;
- 00-19.00 h. – farm work or mating;
- 00-21.00 h. - third meal.
An inseminating bull, whose weight is about 1 ton, should receive about 1.5 kg of feed for every 100 kg of live weight. The diet must be complete and varied, including not only vitamins, but also minerals and proteins. For each unit of feed, as a rule, there is:
- protein – 150 g;
- calcium – 8 g;
- phosphorus – 10 g;
- salt – 10 g.
In addition, it is necessary to include animal feed in the diet of the inseminating bull, which will significantly increase libido and the quality of seminal fluid. If silage and hay are used in the diet of the inseminating bull, then such feed must meet all quality requirements and be of class 1. To make hay, it is recommended to use cereal crops that were mowed at the time of heading; if they are legumes, then at the flowering stage. The best cereals to use are:
- timothy grass;
- foxtail;
- fescue;
- bluegrass.
After mowing, the hay should lie for no more than a month, be green in color and have a pleasant, fresh aroma.Root vegetables can also be used, but they must be given to breeding bulls carefully and in small quantities, since they contain nitrates that are harmful to the health of animals.
Approximately half of the diet of the breeding bull should consist of feed, which, in turn, includes:
- oats;
- wheat;
- barley;
- wheat bran;
- yeast, salt and ref.
During the feeding process, it is recommended to adhere to a certain routine. For example, during the day it is necessary to feed the inseminating bull 2/3 of the total daily food, the rest is divided into morning and evening meals.
Mating methods
Today, there are 3 methods of mating insemination bulls, which differ greatly from each other not only in terms of productivity, but also in costs.
Natural insemination during walking of the inseminating bull. In this case, the inseminating bull is walked together with the cows, and he covers them at the time of hunting. The disadvantage of this method is the fact that the process cannot be controlled by humans. Among the advantages, it is worth noting the high level of probability of insemination by a bull. This method is still practiced by small farms.
Machine method. The bull carries out this insemination process in a specially prepared room in which the machine is installed. After the cow has been fed and 2-3 hours have passed, she is brought in and secured in this pen. The bull is given some time to prepare, after which the mounting is carried out under the supervision of a farm worker. The disadvantage of this method is the high level of load on the bull.It doesn’t matter what age he is, even the largest and strongest inseminating bull is not capable of covering more than 300 cows throughout the year. The bull needs special care and long rest.
Artificial insemination of cows. This method was developed back in Soviet times and today it is used to carry out about 85% of all inseminations. As a rule, this method is used by large farms, but small enterprises are gradually starting to use it.
Using the natural method of inseminating cows leads to the fact that you have to deal with some problems - inbreeding occurs, as a result of which the performance of the herd becomes much worse. This method forces farms to replace insemination bulls every 2 years. Considering the high cost of animals, this leads to high costs.
Although the artificial insemination method is very popular, farmers may also face some problems. For example, the percentage of successful fertilization of cows, even in the best situation, is about 50%, as a result of which it is necessary to purchase additional doses of seminal fluid.
Conclusion
The inseminating bull plays an important role in cattle breeding. That is why it is necessary not only to choose the right animal, but also to provide it with a complete diet. If the inseminating bull is in poor health and does not receive the necessary nutrients for the full functioning of the body, the offspring from it will be equally weak.Even if, at first glance, the offspring seems strong and healthy, due to the low quality of the semen it is impossible to obtain a highly productive animal. In the future, this will affect the quality of the finished product.
