worm them before the start of the breeding season,” he says. “I don’t emphasize deworming for mature bulls as much as I do my younger bulls.” Three weeks before breeding, his regimen calls
for a booster for virus vaccines, vaccines for lepto- spirosis and genital campylobacteriosis (vibrio) and, depending on the prevalent risk factors, a trich vac- cine as well. The trich vaccine for bulls, Spire says, is “rea-
sonably” effective. “You get some assurance with it. The problem we have with bulls is that the cow can carry the trich or the vibrio organism. A bull can pick it up during breeding and then, because it takes a while for the vaccine to get into the secretions and kill the organism, he can take organisms from an infected cow into several clean cows after breeding an infected cow, and before the vaccine would have time to work.” While the vaccine may prevent bulls from carrying
a chronic infection from trich or vibrio, they still can be carriers, so cow herd management and bull testing is recommended Spire says weanling bulls should be put on a com-
prehensive vaccination and growth program. If they’re weaned at 600 pounds, they need to gain 500 pounds by the start of the breeding season. That requires a daily gain of about 2.5 pounds.
Considerations for your bull development program When several bulls are being developed, Spire sug-
gests maintaining them on a group pasture with salt, water and feed spread out. “I want those bulls to exercise and get hardened
up and ready for the start of the breeding season,” he says. “Nothing’s worse than an out-of-shape, overweight bull that that’s been confi ned to a small area that is suddenly turned out on the open range with 30 head to breed. That’s asking too much from them and we will frequently see conception rates suffer.” If you’re developing your own bulls, Spire says they
should come from the top 10 percent to top one-third of the calf crop. “We want to have the most weight on them that
we can at weaning time,” he says. “It’s just cheaper in the long run. We don’t really have to push them or worry as much about having reached puberty in time for their fi rst breeding season.” Development, growth and body condition are extremely important in yearling bulls. By their na-
tscra.org April 2014 The Cattleman 55
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940-665-4367 offi ce 940-668-6056 fax Bonded and Insured
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