Bull management

Maximising the working life of your bull

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We do our best to provide you with a bull that is fit and ready to work for you. It is your responsibility to keep the bull in the best possible condition if you want to get the most out of him for several joinings.

Vaccinations

Bannitup, in consultation with Swans Veterinary Services have initiated the following pre-sale vaccination program to our sale bull team. We recommend you maintain the following annual vaccination boosters.

  • Pestigard: All bulls have been tested to confirm they are not persistently infected (PI) with BVD. BVD is considered one of the most significant infectious diseases in the livestock industry worldwide due to its high prevalence, persistence and clinical consequences. The infection causes diarrhea, fever, abortion and reduced fertility. Calves can be born weak and stunted and may have brain and eye abnormalities.

  • 7 in 1: 7 in 1 prevents leptospirosis and major clostridial diseases such as pulpy kidney, tetanus and blackleg.

  • Vibrovax: Vibriosis is a true venereal disease and can be a major cause of infertility and abortion.

  • MH + IBR: Bovine Herpesvirus is one of the main causes of young bull breaking down in the Esperance district. Vaccinating virgin bulls appears to reduce the incidence and severity of the syndrome. While it was previously recommended to only vaccinate bulls prior to their first season, some instances have been observed in older bulls so consideration should be given to vaccinating mature bulls.

  • Drench: As well as the above vaccination program, a good quality drench should be applied to control internal and external parasites.

Semen Testing

Consideration should be given to semen testing all bulls annually and to have the semen analysed crush side for motility and a sample referred for morphology testing. If the previous seasons results or behaviour has raised concerns, then bulls should be service (jump) tested as this will show any bulls with physical injuries such as arthritis or corkscrewing penis.

Joining Ratio

A 2-year-old bull should be able to serve 40 cows under reasonable paddock conditions. Mature bulls could be joined at a higher rate providing they have passed a rigorous premating check-up.

Bulls should be monitored at least twice a week during joining. If a bull is going to develop an injury or a condition affecting fertility, it is most likely to occur early in the mating season so closer monitoring should occur of the first few weeks.