Contents
When raising cattle, it is important to consider that the right choice of animals plays a special role. The health and productivity of the young will depend on the selected genetic material. That is why there is a certain number of criteria that a bull-inseminator who takes part in breeding work must meet.
How is the selection of bulls-inseminators
As practice shows, the inseminating goby is the largest animal in the herd. It is important to understand that not every bull can become a sire, his selection is approached as responsibly and carefully as possible. As a rule, only those bulls are selected whose parents had unique indicators. The mother’s milk production is evaluated, and the father’s reproductive ability. Also, each breed must correspond to a certain exterior. To do this, the inseminator bull is measured:
- chest;
- pelvic bones;
- limbs;
- curved dorsal line;
- frame.
The future bull-inseminator evaluates the genitals, the quality of the seed. After sampling the seminal fluid, a series of tests is carried out to detect the activity of spermatozoa. Active cells should be from 75% and above, while they should move in one direction. The mother evaluates the udder, the shape and volume of the mammary glands, the location of the nipples.
After all the necessary checks have been carried out, the plant issues a special card for the inseminating bull. This card must include the following details of the parents:
- personal number;
- nicknames;
- distinctive characteristics of father and mother.
In addition, information about the development of the inseminating bull itself and all its offspring is further noted in the card. In addition to taking into account hereditary data, the performance of the daughters of the inseminating bull is checked. Dairy characteristics are taken as a basis:
- take into account the number of milk yields in different lactation periods;
- milking weight for the entire lactation period;
- conduct studies of fat content and specific gravity of proteins;
- as an assessment, control milking is carried out.
In the card of the inseminator bull, the number of his daughters and the highest productive indicators are indicated. If there are record holders in the breed, then this gives additional advantages to the father. The following information about the inseminating bull is entered into the tribal map:
- the name of the bull;
- personal number by which it can be identified;
- the place where he was born;
- indicate the weight at the time of birth and upon reaching: 6 months, 10 months, 1 year, 1,5 years;
- dimensions at birth;
- describe the conditions in which the bull was;
- the diet of the animal until the moment when it was chosen as a producer.
The first signs of puberty in the breeding bull begin to be noticeable when the bull reaches the age of 10 months. Upon reaching the year of the inseminator bull, they begin to use. As a rule, about 5-6 females are assigned to each bull-inseminator or seminal fluid is taken. During the season, up to 35 cages can be carried out with free mating. Up to 200 cages can be held per year.
If the seminal fluid is taken, then it is further stored in ampoules filled with nitrogen. After thawing, sperm activity is checked. Thus, it is possible to inseminate about 20 cows during the year.
Rules for keeping and caring for animals
If you create suitable conditions for the breeding bull, you can increase the reproductive capacity and significantly improve the health of the animal. The following mandatory items are included in the process of caring for a breeding bull-inseminator:
- every day the bull-inseminator must be washed or cleaned using a brush for this purpose. Particular attention should be paid to the head during the washing process and the back of the head, forehead and the place between the horns should be thoroughly washed. If these procedures are not performed, then the inseminating bull may develop serious skin problems;
- perform regular hoof care. To avoid possible injuries, the hooves of the breeding bull must be trimmed regularly;
- The bull’s scrotum must be periodically washed with warm water. Such manipulations make it possible to keep the genitals of the inseminating bull clean and healthy, as a result of which the mating process will be more fruitful;
- every day to walk the bull, devoting a decent amount of time to this. For inseminating bulls, physical activity is extremely important, because this is how you can maintain the tone of the animal, improve health, the immune system, and prevent excess weight. The walk of the bull-inseminator should take from 3 hours or more. The area used for walking the bull should not be less than 10 acres.
To strengthen muscle tissue, inseminators can be used to transport various loads. In addition, it is necessary to pay special attention to the place where it is planned to keep the inseminator bull:
- bright lighting;
- suitable temperature regime;
- each breeding bull must be in a separate stall, and tied with a chain. At the same time, it is important to take into account that the chain must be of sufficient length, which will allow the bull-inseminator to calmly move around the stall and lie down unhindered;
- complete ventilation system;
- in the stall it is not allowed to find objects and elements about which the bull-inseminator can injure himself.
If the stall for the inseminating bull is located deep in the barn, then it is necessary to provide a sufficient number of shelters along the route of the producer. This is necessary so that the workers caring for the animals can, if necessary, hide at the time of the manifestation of aggression in the inseminating bull.
For convenience, the inseminating bulls are fitted with special strong rings in their noses, which are later used as a fixative during the walking of the bulls.
Diet
The reproduction of the herd in most cases depends not only on the sexual activity of the breeding bull, but also on the quality of the diet. It is important to consider that the diet of inseminating bulls is significantly different from that of a cow. In this case, it is necessary to take into account how often the inseminating bull is used for cages, its age, physique, and weight indicators.
For inseminating bulls, there is a certain daily routine, which is not recommended to be violated:
- 00. – the first meal of the bull;
- 00-07.00. – the bull-inseminator is resting;
- 00. – care for bulls-inseminators: they clean the wool, trim the hooves if necessary, wash the scrotum;
- 00-10.00. – time allocated for walking, mating or physical work on the farm;
- 00. – second meal
- 00-16.00. – the bull-inseminator is resting;
- 00-19.00. – work on the farm or mating;
- 00-21.00. – the third meal.
An inseminating bull weighing about 1 ton should receive about 1,5 kg of feed for every 100 kg of live weight. The diet must be complete and varied, include not only vitamins, but also minerals with proteins. For each unit of feed, as a rule, there is:
- protein – 150 g;
- calcium – 8 g;
- phosphorus – 10 g;
- salt – 10 of
In addition, it is necessary to include animal feed in the diet of the bull-inseminator, which will significantly increase libido and the quality of seminal fluid. If silage and hay are used in the diet of the breeding bull, then such feed must meet all quality requirements and be of the 1st class. For harvesting hay, it is recommended to use cereals that were mowed at the time of heading, if these are legumes, then at the flowering stage. Of the cereals, it is best to use:
- timothy;
- foxtail;
- fescue;
- bluegrass.
After mowing, hay should lie for no more than a month, have a green color and have a pleasant fresh aroma. Root crops can also be used, but they must be given to breeding bulls carefully and in small quantities, as they contain nitrates that are harmful to the health of animals.
Approximately half of the diet of the breeding bull should consist of compound feed, which, in turn, includes:
- oats;
- wheat;
- barley;
- wheat bran;
- yeast, salt and reverse.
In the process of feeding, it is recommended to adhere to a certain routine. For example, during the day it is necessary to feed the bull-inseminator 2/3 of the total daily food, the rest is divided into morning and evening meals.
mating methods
To date, there are 3 methods of mating inseminating bulls, which differ greatly from each other not only in terms of productivity, but also in terms of costs.
Natural insemination in the process of walking the inseminator bull. In this case, the inseminating bull is walked along with the cows, and he covers them at the time of the hunt. The disadvantage of this method is the fact that the process cannot be controlled by a person. Among the advantages, it is worth noting the high level of probability of insemination by the bull. This method is still practiced by small farms.
machine method. The bull carries out this process of insemination in a specially prepared room in which the machine is installed. After the cow has been fed and 2-3 hours have passed, it is brought in and fixed in this machine. The bull is given some time to prepare, after which the cage is carried out under the control of the farm worker. The disadvantage of this method is the high level of stress on the bull. No matter how old he is, even the largest and strongest breeding bull is not able to cover more than 300 cows throughout the year. The bull needs special care and long rest.
Artificial insemination of cows. This method was developed back in the days of the USSR, and today about 85% of all inseminations are carried out with its help. As a rule, this method is used by large farms, but gradually small enterprises are also starting to use it.
Using the natural method of inseminating cows leads to the fact that one has to face some problems – inbreeding occurs, as a result of which the performance of the herd becomes much worse. This method forces farms to replace inseminating bulls every 2 years. Given the high cost of animals, this leads to high costs.
Although the artificial insemination method is very popular, farmers can also face some problems. For example, the percentage of successful insemination of cows, even in the best scenario, is about 50%, as a result of which it is necessary to purchase additional doses of seminal fluid.
Conclusion
The inseminating bull plays an important role in the breeding of cattle. That is why it is necessary not only to choose the right animal, but also to provide him with a complete diet. If the breeding bull is in poor health and does not receive the necessary nutrients for the full functioning of the body, the offspring from him will be received in the same weak way. Even if, at first glance, the offspring will seem strong and healthy, due to the poor quality of the seed, it is impossible to get a highly productive animal. In the future, this will affect the quality of the finished product.
