MOOSE JAW, Sask. – Bulls need attention even after they have finished their job in the breeding pasture.
John McKinnon, beef industry research chair at the University of Saskatchewan, told a recent bull selection workshop in Moose Jaw that producers sometimes pull bulls from the pasture and then forget about them.
“Don’t ignore the bull from a nutrition point of view,” he said. “Bulls that have been used a lot in the breeding season can lose a lot of weight and if we want to get them back into breeding condition for next year, we have to gain that weight back.”
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A 1,300 pound yearling will come off the pasture at about 1,150 lb.
“He needs to put on 500 lb. before you turn him out next year,” McKinnon said. “A 60 day breeding season gives you 300 days to do that.”
Producers can accomplish this by using fall pasture, a winter feeding program that targets gains of 1.5 to two lb. per day, and conditioning before breeding.
McKinnon said minerals and vitamins are also important, particularly when it comes to fertility.
The two major minerals are calcium and phosphorus. Bulls should receive 30 to 40 grams per day of calcium and 20 to 25 grams of phosphorus. The ratio of calcium to phosphorus should be 1.5:1 to 2.5:1. Many feeds contain these minerals.
“Depending upon the feed that’s the base of your ration, calcium and phosphorous can be an issue,” McKinnon said.
Other macro minerals include magnesium, potassium, sulfur, sodium and chlorine. McKinnon cautioned that high sulphur levels can sometimes tie up trace minerals and lead to deficiencies.
Trace minerals to consider are zinc, copper, iodine, cobalt, iron, selenium, manganese and molybdenum.
Zinc is vital for semen production while copper deficiency can lead to leg abnormalities and generally poor doing bulls. A lack of selenium can lead to white muscle disease and retained placentas.
Bulls also require A, D and E.
Vitamin A is most important for bone development, health tissue and eyes. Bulls store vitamin A in their liver and fat tissue and can draw on it. The vitamin is usually added to feed but can be injected.
McKinnon said a feed test is a good idea.
“But probably more important is to work with your feed company and their nutritionist to identify for the area that you’re in, what is the soil type, what are the sulfate levels in your water, what is the molybdenum level in the soil,” he said.
This will flag potential problems and allow producers to set up a regular mineral feeding program.
However, they also need to remember that not all feed is grown nearby.
