What is a good bull to cow ratio

1-15 kg of hay 1-15 kg of root crops. Be sure to maintain the correct bull-to-cow ratio and to test bulls regularly for fertility and sexually transmitted diseases.

For example a 15-month old bull could be run with 15 females and 36 cows could be exposed to a 3-year old bull 36 months of age thirty six cows is the maximum number that should be allotted to a mature bull.

What is a good bull to cow ratio. Mating Capacity of Bulls. Bull to Cow Ratio 1. Testicular Size Scrotal Circumference.

Scrotal circumference is controlled to a large extent by genetics of the. Other genetic factors that can influence seminal quality are testicular consistency some. However the rule-of-thumb for the proper bull to female ratio is one cow per month of age of the bull up to 3 years of age.

For example a 15-month old bull could be run with 15 females and 36 cows could be exposed to a 3-year old bull 36 months of age thirty six cows is the maximum number that should be allotted to a mature bull. So if your stocking rate is one bull to 30 cows on 100 cows as in the example you basically have a little better than three bulls to cover a cow when shes cycling. If you run a bull to 25 cows youve got four bulls to cover each cycling female and so on.

We all know cows dont cycle on the average and numerous cows will be in heat on a given day in the middle of the breeding season. In the table below the bull-to-cow ratio with the best economic return is one bull to 25 cows Table 1. Each pasture had 100 heifers with different number of bulls present to reach each respective stocking rate.

Ab Means within row lacking common superscript differ P. Adapted from Healy et al 1993. Limited units generally have a higher ratio more bulls to cows.

They will have more 3 year old bulls in the ratio. OTC units with big rifle hunting success can have very low ratios and many of those will be spikes and 2 year olds. So the CPW offers B cow tags in those units to help reduce the cows and increase the bull ratios.

The old adage A good bull is half your herd and a bad bull is your whole herd holds true. Be sure to maintain the correct bull-to-cow ratio and to test bulls regularly for fertility and sexually transmitted diseases. As a general guideline a two-year-old bull should be able to cope with 20 females in a two- to three-month breeding season.

What tends to make us believe that hes involved to an even greater degree is the bull to cow ratio which is commonly 20 to 40 to 1. When you consider that one bull may be responsible for the breeding of as many as 40 cows that makes for one tired bull but also shows the importance of insuring the bull or bulls you are using are sound and up to the job. Recent work from Colorado State University established a mature bull should be able to comfortably service 50 cows for the breeding season.

To reduce the bull to cow ratio from 1-50 to 1-40 has the same effect as purchasing insurance. The scrotum and testicles should be at least 30cm in circumference on a 12-month-old bull to indicate adequate reproductive ability. A female should show femininity with a lean refined head and long narrow and clean neck.

And some bulls would rather fight than breed. In a small pasture with only a few bulls make sure the bulls are compatible. One old-time rancher recommends using either one or three bulls rather than two especially if the two bulls are evenly matched and always sparring.

A body condition score of 6 where 1 very thin and 9 obese is a good target for bulls at the beginning of breeding. Bulls in a body condition score of 6 are in high moderate condition with considerable fat cover over the ribs and tail-head and firm pressure needed to feel the spine. With the sperm of the best bulls at least 5 000 cows can be serviced.

Bulls which give poor-quality sperm are not allowed to mate. The role of the sire in completing a herd is great. Therefore sire bulls are given the best feeding and living conditions.

A bulls ration must completely fulfill his requirements for protein minerals and vitamins. Bulls are given daily per 100 kg. 1-15 kg of hay 1-15 kg of root crops.

When determining bull-to-cow ratio in young bulls a good rule of thumb is a bull should service as many cows as he is old in months. For example a 17-month-old bull should only be expected to service 17 cows at most for the first breeding season. This assumes he has successfully passed a breeding soundness exam by a veterinarian.

Here comes our 4th episode with some tips on the ration of cows VS bulls to apply to your farm. In that category countywide the ratios have increased in the past year from 26 calves to 27 calves for every 100 cows. Calf ratios vary markedly from unit to unit this year with the Wenaha Unit near Troy where cougar counts are high having the lowest calf to 100 cow count of 16 calves.

The ratio should be about one bull to 15-20 heifers. Managing return heats after a synchrony treatment. If you are using heat synchrony and returns will occur when bulls are running you need to estimate the minimum number of bulls running with cattle during this period using one bull per 10 non-pregnant cows.

Use two healthy fertile bulls per 100 cows for normal conception rates. Bulls must be monitored closely during mating. General guidelines for bull ratios are.

Maximum 2 bulls100 cows for intensively managed southern herds. Maximum 4 bulls100 cows for extensive grazing ie pastoral zone minimum 2 bulls100 cows or per herd.