Frostbitten testicles
Reports have been coming in that testicles of some bulls were frostbitten and damaged during this winter’s extreme cold. Now is the time to investigate the soundness of your bulls.
Frostbitten testicles can have a significant effect on bull fertility, due to testicular damage and impaired sperm cell production. To accurately assess the damage, producers should have their bulls put through a breeding soundness evaluation.
Severe frost damage may be detectable by physically examining the scrotum and testicles. Some bulls can be culled on this basis alone. More moderate frost damage will show up as abnormalities in sperm morphology. A complete bull evaluation, including an examination of all sexual organs, a measurement of scrotal circumference and a detailed semen evaluation will determine if frost damage has had a significant and permanent effect on the bull’s fertility.
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Based on results of the evaluation, a veterinarian will predict if the bull has damage, if and when it will recover, or if the bull should be culled.
Bull sales are approaching, and it is better to know about problems now than to find out later and then rush bull purchases.
Consider the effect an unsound bull can have on gross revenue next fall. If the breeding season is 83 days (four heat periods) and the bull does his best job, resulting in a 70-20-10 settling rate on 100 cows (70 percent of the cows bred in the first 21 days, 20 percent of the cows bred in the second 21 days, etc.) a calf growth rate of 2.75 lbs./day and weaning at 200 days, a producer would end up with 59,440 pounds of weaned calf, or an average of 594 pounds of weaned calf per cow exposed next year.
If the bull has a problem, and is not capable of servicing the cows for a portion of the breeding season so there is only a 40-10-40-10 setting rate on the cows, there are only 54,820 pounds of weaned calf or an average of 548 pounds of weaned calf per cow – a difference of 46 pounds of weaned calf per cow.
– Manitoba Agriculture
