Reasons For Semen Testing Stock Bulls

The main reason for a pre-mating inspection of stock bulls including semen testing (using the new electro ejaculation equipment which many veterinary practices now have) is to –

• Identify infertile and low fertility bulls, to avoid the need to rotate bulls between groups of cows.

• Rank bulls in terms of their semen quality to optimise the number of cows run per bull. For example bulls with the very best semen quality might well be capable of running with 50+ cows.

• Identify problems such as poor feet, over/under condition etc in time to rectify them before mating starts.

Basil Lowman, basil.lowman@sac.co.uk