Will Your Bulls Be Ready Come Turnout Time? with Jeff Erquiaga

We all know bulls have a very important job on our operations. We are starting to see some light at the end of the winter tunnel, but many states had some extreme cold this winter.  What does that mean for bull fertility? What do you need to do to make sure your bulls are ready when breeding season starts? 

Kasey sat down with Dr. Jeff Erquiaga to discuss considerations you should keep in mind during bull sale season and beyond. 

They chat about: 

• How frostbite affects bulls and for how long
• What you need to know about a breeding soundness exam, and when you should test
• Contingency plans if a bull fails an exam
• Questions you should ask your seedstock supplier
• Where a test needs to happen
• Much more

This episode is brought to you by Westway Feed Products.

Find more information to make Angus work for you in the Angus Beef Bulletin and ABB EXTRA. Make sure you're subscribed! Sign up here to the print Angus Beef Bulletin and the digital Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA. Have questions or comments? We'd love to hear from you! Contact our team at abbeditorial@angus.org. 

Transcript

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Hello and welcome to Angus at Work. I'm your host, Kasey Brown. Thanks for joining us today. We are going to talk about bull health during the winter months, because we all know bulls have a very important job on our operations. We are starting to see some light at the end of the winter tunnel, but that doesn’t negate the fact that many states had some extreme cold this winter. So what do you need to do to make sure your bulls are ready when breeding season starts? I sat down with Dr. Jeff Erquiaga to discuss considerations you should keep in mind. This episode is brought to you by Westway Feed Products.

So, let’s dig in. 

Kasey Brown:

Before we really get started, can you give our listeners just a brief background of your experience in the beef industry?

Jeff Erquiaga:

Sure. I grew up on a ranch in Northeast California, Northwest Nevada. We had a commercial operation with a handful of purebred Herefords. I went to the University of Nevada, Reno to do my undergrad, went to vet school at CSU, moved to Rushville, Nebraska when I left vet school. And fortunately, the people have tolerated me here for 31 years. We would do mostly cow-calf operation, would be our practice. We're kind of spoiled. We're right in the heart of a lot of really good purebred operators and get an opportunity to work on a lot of purebred cattle and do a lot of fertility testing throughout the years. So no, I've been very blessed. It's been a great opportunity.

Kasey Brown:

Awesome. I love that. You talked about bull fertility. So with cold temperatures, especially this year, a lot of our states have really experienced some cold temperatures. What do we have to worry about in regards to bull fertility with cold temperatures?

Jeff Erquiaga:

Well, there's a couple things to think about with the cold temperatures. I think the cold temperatures maybe aren't really a terrible problem if you've got adequate bedding and decent protection. But when you add the wind that we had with the extreme cold, the scrotum tends to hang down there kind of in a bad spot for Mother Nature. And when you get that much wind, it tends to cause frostbite. Depending upon how bad, certainly can lead to frostbite on at least a part or up to two thirds, three quarters of the scrotum. And when that happens, you've got a little bit of a mess on your hands.

Kasey Brown:

Gotcha. So you mentioned frostbite, so talk us through how that affects the scrotum and how long does that affect the bull?

Jeff Erquiaga:

What actually happens is the frostbite, it's just like any chemical burn or burn, is it destroys the skin depending upon how bad it is. I've actually seen those bad enough where enough of the skin will slough off as that starts to heal and the testicles will fall right out of the bottom of the scrotum. If that's the case, you've definitely got a bull that is no good. You can have a lot of variations of how bad the frostbite is, to just a little tip of the scrotum, to fairly significant. In seeing that, there's a couple things that really cause trouble with sperm production. Anytime you have heat, inflammation, or infection in or around the testicles, you're going to end up with some periods of infertility. And obviously, if we've got frostbite and some black dead skin that is going to slough off, you've got probably all of those, and that is going to cause some intermittent infertility and in some severe cases, permanent infertility.

Anytime you get adhesions between the testicle and the bottom of the scrotum, that causes the inability for that bull to move the testicles up and down and regulate heat. So when you get to the hot summer months, he can't regulate heat and consequently your sperm production goes down and a lot of that sperm, even though it's produced, is probably dead. The other thing that you worry about is if there's enough damage to the epididymidis of the testicle, which is where semen is stored after it's produced and is mature before it's ejaculated out. There's a lot of little tubules that make up the epididymidis and sometimes those will actually get damaged enough that they freeze together and no longer is there a patent way for the sperm to even come out of there. So if you've got any of those particular problems that occur, your fertility is not going to be very good.

The good thing about it is a lot of times if you are patient and you have some time, which I don't know if it's fortunate or unfortunate, but this storm hit us fairly early in the winter and I think we've got some time before spring turnout and before we're going to need these bulls. So I think there's a subset of these bulls that will probably go through a period of infertility. And I think there will be a percent of them that will probably return to normal use if we are patient and have enough time, which I think a lot of those we will.

Kasey Brown:

And I think I've heard research that spermatogenesis takes about 60 days. Is that correct?

Jeff Erquiaga:

62 or 63 days would be how long it takes a sperm cell to start from ground zero until you've got viable sperm produced. The thing that we have to worry about is you probably want to take those 61 or 62, or three days from the time, not necessarily that the insult occurred, but by the time that the damaged skin has sloughed off and we get rid of the infection and the potential fever that you're going to have in that. So from the time you see that scrotum starting to heal up, then you better start counting your 60 days.

So I mean, that's the thing that if we went in and started testing bulls today, I think most of these bulls probably will not semen check just because of the amount of damage that has been done and we've got some heat and some infection there. I think a lot of those bulls probably won't test. As time goes on, it is our friend, I think, that some of these bulls will get to a point where they're going to be a satisfactory breeder again.

Kasey Brown:

So you mentioned tests. Talk us through a breeding soundness exam, what you're looking for and when would be an optimal time to test and if we need to retest, especially if we find these bulls who are not satisfactory breeders right now,

Jeff Erquiaga:

I think if you find a bull that's not a satisfactory breeder right now, I would certainly give that bull an opportunity and some time if you've got that. If you're in a position where you're going to start breeding before too long, then obviously that's not something that you can do. I guess I would try to wait till we get closer to actual turnout time, which is kind of a double-edged sword because most of your bull sales are going to be in the next month or six weeks, and that's going to leave you kind of in a pickle if you get to breathing season and this bull sail are all over. So I think a lot of these guys need to evaluate their bulls maybe just visually and look them over and see how many bulls you've got that look like you've got some frost damage, and I think maybe you better plan on replacing at least a percentage of those bulls.

I'm not saying all of them, but I think just to be on the safe side, there's probably 30, 40, 50, 60% of those bulls that may not test as we get towards spring. So I think maybe you want to at least protect yourself and purchase a few extra bulls at your favorite bull sale location this spring. As we get closer to spring, the amount of bulls that are for sale, I think the quality goes down and the price tends to go up, and that's a bad place to be caught. So I think the guys need to evaluate that a little bit and make some plans to maybe replace a few more bulls than they typically do.

In saying that, I think the longer we can wait, the more of those bulls that will probably pass a fertility exam. And when I say, "pass a fertility exam," you're going to want to palpate those testicles, make sure there are no adhesions, make sure both testicles are there, everything is in working order, and then we'll do electroejaculation, collect a semen sample, look at the motility, stain that sample, and then take a good look at the morphology and make sure that we've got at least 70% normal sperm cells. After the insults that we've had, I think that's very important to do because there's certainly the potential for a lot of these bulls not to be in that category.

The other thing that I think a lot of people maybe don't think about, but we are expecting a bull to do a lot in the breeding season and we're expecting him to get at least 70, hopefully 80% of his cows bred in the first cycle. So not only do you want to look at his reproductive organs, which yes, that's most important, but he also must be able to get around. Look at feet and leg structure, look at foot structure, make sure we don't have any long toes, swollen joints, bad shoulders, those kind of things that are going to prevent this bull from getting around the pasture as well as he could. And I think those are all things that we need to analyze as well as the semen evaluation.

Kasey Brown:

Absolutely. So you're right, you've mentioned a double-edged sword. There's no right answer for anyone right now or a silver bullet really. 

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Kasey Brown: 
So, what are some of those considerations cattlemen should keep in mind as they're making those bull-buying decisions? Or if they've already purchased bulls, what should they think about as they're preparing for breeding season?

Jeff Erquiaga:

The bulls that you buy this year, I would maybe retest again just prior to turnout to make sure that there aren't any infertility issues. It's not that I don't trust the first guy that did the semen evaluation, but you are only looking at that bull today and today only. And anytime there is stress on that individual, whether that's the sale, that's transportation, that's changing feed, changing environment, all those things can affect fertility. So I think that if we want to make as few things to chance as we possibly can, I would encourage you to retest those bulls, especially this year just prior to turnout, to make sure that those bulls are going to do the job that you expect them to do.

And as far as when you buy those bulls, I think don't be afraid to put a little bedding down, especially if you've got some snow and cold and ice. That's a very valuable toolbox that you need to kind of protect. So a little bit of bedding and some protection I think will go a long ways in that scenario. Most of the bull producers I think are very well aware of that because that is their entire livelihood. So they're pretty good at making sure that their animals have protection and bedding, but I know a lot of ranchers maybe don't pay as much attention to that as they should. But if we've still got some cold weather to come, don't be afraid to put some bedding down, corn stalks or quality hay, straw. Any of those will work very well.

Kasey Brown:

I was just thinking our bull-buying decision or our bull buying is usually one of the most expensive parts of the operation apart from feed. So definitely, it would make sense to spend the money on an extra breeding soundness exam or a fertility test just to make sure he can do what you need him to do.

Jeff Erquiaga:

I would agree completely. You look at a $30 to $50 investment on a second fertility exam on a five to $10,000 bull, and if you have 6, 8, 10, 15 open cows from that bull because he didn't do his job, that $50 looks pretty reasonable.

Kasey Brown:

How far ahead of spring turnout would you recommend getting either a second test or a fertility test done?

Jeff Erquiaga:

I think a lot of that is probably going to depend upon the producer and their particular situation. Ideally, I would like to wait till as close to turnout as you can because then you have a very good picture of what your fertility is when you turn those bulls out. But in saying that, I also realize that that might be a little bit of a crystal ball scenario. You kind of want to get your bulls tested early enough that there's still a bull sale or two you can go to replace them if they don't test. And a lot of times you need to move those bulls someplace. They come by the corrals, let's get them tested while we're going here before we take them to a different pasture or whatever your scenario is.

So I know there's a lot of management issues that are involved in that. So I mean, you just kind of have to do what works best for your operation. Like I said, if you're going to look in the crystal ball, the ideal situation to do it just prior to turnout, but I realize that there are a lot of situations that probably don't allow that to happen.

Kasey Brown:

That makes perfect sense. Are bull tests, are those something that a veterinarian can do at your operation or do you need to take bulls to a veterinarian's clinic?

Jeff Erquiaga:

It just depends on your setup. Both the vet clinic and the ranch, we're fortunate because we've got some bigger ranches and most of them have excellent facilities, so we tend to do the great majority of our fertility testing at the ranch or at the feed yard. There is a handful of people that don't have very good facilities and we certainly welcome those with less than ample facilities. And big bulls can tear up a lot of stuff, and if you don't have a good tooth for restraint, it's not a good deal. So I mean, we'll work with people either way, and I think most veterinarians probably are that way. If you've got great facilities or good facilities, be happy to do it at the ranch. If not, we'd be happy to do it at the clinic as well.

Kasey Brown:

Perfect. But what kind of questions should a commercial cattleman ask to their feedstock suppliers about their winter bowl care?

Jeff Erquiaga:

I mean, don't be afraid to ask about bedding and protection and things like that. Like I said, I think most of your bull suppliers, that is their livelihood and most of them are pretty good about making sure that there's not a lot of mud and lot for these bulls to lay in. They've got protection, they've got bedding. I think most of them have a pretty good handle on that. You occasionally see a bull with a little bit of burn on the tips of their scrotums, but for the most part I think most guys have a pretty good handle on that because that is their livelihood. You can't sell bulls if they don't pass a fertility exam.

Kasey Brown:

You mentioned bedding a lot. Are there any other things that commercial cattlemen can think of once they get their bulls home?

Jeff Erquiaga:

Yeah, I think protection is the big one. Just try to keep them out of the wind. I mean, cold temperatures ... Bulls can stand a lot of cold if they just don't have wind blowing up their backside. So if you've got wind breaks, tree rows, even someplace to get them in out of the extreme weather, I think is not a bad idea because you've got quite a bit of money invested in your bulls.

The other thing I think a lot of people miss is they take the bull that's been on a fairly high concentrate diet for a period of time during the bull development scenario of their life, and then they take them home and kick them out on not very good feed and a lot of those bulls lose a lot of weight. I think that also can be one of the things that can lead to potential infertility as well. And I agree that you have to back those bulls down gradually over a period of time to try to get their guts back to a more forage-based diet. I think that's very important to try to get those bulls back down and onto a forage-based diet prior to turnout. I don't think that's maybe quite such a shock to their system.

Kasey Brown:

Perfect. I love how you brought in, there's still a nutritional aspect to making sure our bulls are ready, in addition to winter care.

Jeff Erquiaga:

I think body condition score is something that a lot of people overlook. And unfortunately, too many ranchers just kind of kick those bulls someplace out of the way during calving season because they don't want to have to deal with them. And unfortunately, a fair amount of those bulls lose some condition.

Condition I think is very, very important. You're asking that bull to service a lot of females in a short period of time. You don't want them too fat because when you're big and fat, it's hard to perform. And when you're too thin, you don't have the energy to do the job that they're going to be expected to do. So I think body condition score is something that is very important. You don't want one too thin, you don't want one too fat, along with protecting their toolbox to make sure that everything's going to work the way you planned. Because you put a lot of work and effort into a year to let things fall short at breeding time because your bulls are not either in body condition or fertility wise to do what you need them to do.

Kasey Brown:

Well, that's perfect. I think that is a great way to wrap up this podcast. But before we end, I always like to end with some good news because we all know the cattle business is really the people business. So, would you mind sharing something good that's happened recently, either personally, professionally, or both?

Jeff Erquiaga:

I guess I'm really excited right now about the cattle industry. We are at maybe not all-time low numbers, but we are at low numbers and I think people are going to start growing their cow herds, less heifers going to the feed yard. There's going to be a shortage of meat, and I think it is a time in the next few years, we're going to see something that we have never seen in our lifetime. And it's a great time to be in it, and I think you need to gather as many cows as you can possibly have because I think we're going to see something that is tremendous.

Kasey Brown:

Oh, cool. I love hearing that there is so much optimism surrounding the industry right now, and that is something that just makes you feel good and definitely lets us know we're in the right industry. So thank you, Dr. Jeff, for your time this morning and for your insight. I really appreciate it. You've been wonderful.

Listeners, if you want more information about winter foal care or any matter of information to make Angus work for you, check out the Angus Beef Bulletin and the Angus Beef Bulletin Extra. You'll find information to subscribe to both of those publications in our show notes. If you have any questions or comments, please let us know at abbeditorial@angus.org. All right. Thank you for listening. This has been Angus at Work.