Our first calf heifers aren't calving in a very tight window of time. In fact, several look like they may not calve until summer, and we had several that were open when we hauled them back last fall.
So J decided to have a breeding soundness exam done on that bull and a new yearling bull he bought.
There are several steps to the exam which I won't go into here.
But he did find the problem. Abnormal heads on over 60% of the bull's sperm. J has been really impressed with the small size of his calves and was looking forward to using him on the heifers again because of his calving ease but it looks like he will be taking a trip to the market instead.
Oh boy, that stinks! We like bulls that throw small calves too, for our first calf heifers.
ReplyDeleteThat is so frustrating and a real lose too. A few years ago, we had a bull who was a complete dud, not a single calf born that year. It was a major blow to our tiny operation. I hope he at least brings a decent price at market.
ReplyDeletegreat list of link-ups to follow!
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