Making A Note Of Which Cows Run With Which Bull

With cattle turnout taking place across the country, it’s worth remembering to make a note of which cows go out to grass with which bulls.

For those in the Beef Efficiency Scheme this may already be common practice seeing as the sire of each calf needs to be recorded as part of the scheme.  There are several advantages to knowing the sire of your calves;

Breeding Replacements

For those herds who are breeding their own replacements it is key to avoid inbreeding.  Also identifies which bulls sire better breeding heifers.

Bull Performance Management

Allows better performance management of bulls used within the herd. If there are concerns or issues with calving difficulties then the bull who is largely responsible or has repeat assisted calving or calving difficulties can be identified.

By knowing the calf sire you will be able to identify the bull which is siring the calves with the best weaning and sale weights.

Sarah Balfour, sarah.balfour@sac.co.uk