it is normal, and then we will draw semen and count the sperm cells from the sample.” The bull does not pass unless more than 70 percent of the sperm cells are of good quality. The station also places a great deal of emphasis on
structural soundness. Stidham says if a bull’s structure is even a little out of whack upon arrival, the bull is not going to get any better. In that case, we call the owners and recommend that they ship and slaughter the animal, and most of them do that. “Feet have become a big deal in all of these cattle,
and we watch those. In fact, we score some of the bulls’ feet while they are here,” using the scoring systems available from the breed associations. If all the conditions are met, which also include a
minimum average daily gain of 3.25 pounds and weight of 1,100 pounds, OBI deems the bull guaranteed to be a breeder and eligible for consignment to the OBI sale program.
Sound for breeding Soundness exams follow a set of guidelines devel-
oped by the American Veterinary Medical Association. Dr. Robert Wells, consultant for The Samuel R. Noble Foundation in Ardmore, Okla., says, “What that entails is looking at the semen for morphology, mortality, and viable sperm cells that could actually be able to fertil-
ize the ovum. Additionally, they are going to look at the structure of the penis, making sure that he can extend and making sure there are no issues like hair rings or warts that would prohibit him from being able to mate with a cow. “Also, they are going to palpate the testicles and make
sure that they are adequate in size,” Wells explains. “There is an acceptable minimum, based upon the age and breed of the bull. They are also going to make sure that the testicles are of the appropriate density and are neither too hard nor too spongy.” The structural soundness part of the exam involves
making sure the bull can bear his own weight on his back legs when he mounts the cow, and that his front legs can withstand the jolt when he dismounts. Wells also says he does not want to have a bull that
is too post-legged, meaning an animal with back legs that are very straight, with little angle to the hocks. “A post-legged bull will lack the shock-absorbing
ability of a bull with a little bit of angularity to his hocks, but we do not want too much either. If he be- comes sickle-hocked (a condition in which the bull’s rear legs have too much angle), then we run into the problem that he will break over in time,” or will not be able to bear his weight during breeding and will not last long in the herd. The angle of the front legs should be at a happy
| Feet have become a big deal in cattle.
122 The Cattleman October 2015
thecattlemanmagazine.com
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