How much does a breeding bull cost? Selection criteria and the reasons for wearing a nose ring, and how to install it
A bull refers to a male bovine, tall in body and great in strength; after eating its fill it will stop feeding, but will still keep ruminating ceaselessly. Cattle are herbivorous animals with a very wide range of foods; they like eating green grass best, and also like eating some green plants (or fruits), such as water spinach, sweet potato vines (seedlings), corn (seedlings), rice, wheat seedlings, etc. So how much does a breeding bull currently cost roughly per head? What are the selection criteria? Why does it wear a nose ring? How is it installed? According to a farm in Shandong, the price of a breeding bull varies depending on factors such as breed and weight, ranging from one thousand to several thousand.
What are the current selection criteria for breeding bulls?
1. The pedigree must be clear; the bull's father, grandfather and mother must all be registered pedigree cattle, and those with incomplete pedigree records must not be used for breeding.
2. The appearance requirements for a breeding bull are obvious breed characteristics, a well-proportioned body structure, obvious male characteristics and normal reproductive organs. Bulls with incorrect limb posture, a sunken or arched back and loin, a narrow chest, a pendulous abdomen, a pointed and sloping rump, a single testicle or a retained testicle must not be used for breeding under any circumstances.
3. The appearance appraisal grade of a breeding bull must not be lower than the special grade, and its weight and body measurements must be graded according to breed standards and must not be lower than grade one.
4. A breeding bull must be physically healthy, in upper-middle body condition, with obvious but not protruding hip corners, ribs slightly showing but not prominent, and a dewlap visible but not abundant.
5. The semen of a breeding bull must reach an excellent level in terms of ejaculate volume, density, motility, survival index and freeze resistance. An excellent breeding bull must also be selected based on the performance of its offspring; this is progeny testing. Progeny testing is the best way to judge the genetic stability of a breeding bull, because judging its heredity based on the ancestral pedigree and its own performance is only preliminary, and selection based on progeny testing results is the most reliable.
Why do breeding bulls wear nose rings?
A bull's strength is very stubborn.
Bull handlers (farmers) learned through practice that a bull's nasal septum is thin and full of nerves; as long as the nasal septum is pulled and stimulated, the bull feels pain and obediently complies, and they concluded that passing a metal ring through the nasal septum and attaching a rope allows a stubborn bull to be led along.
How is a bull nose ring installed?
To avoid, as far as possible, harm to the keepers caused by highly aggressive bulls, and to protect the personal safety of veterinary personnel during the treatment of sick bulls and during epidemic prevention and quarantine, a breeding bull nose ring should be installed when the bull calf reaches 6 months of age. Installing a breeding bull nose ring also helps to tame the bull and to train it for future semen collection production. The installation method for a breeding bull's nose ring is briefly introduced below:
1. Disinfection of instruments: Soak the nose ring and nose ring pliers in disinfectant for more than 20min, open and disinfect the fixing bolt of the nose ring, and further disinfect with 5% iodine tincture before the procedure.
2. Restraint of the bull: First put a thick rope around the neck of the bull to be fitted with the nose ring, pull the bull's head out of the railing, and then fix the bull's head and face on the railing to ensure it cannot move freely.
3. Puncture of the nasal septum: Disinfect the nasal septum with 5% iodine tincture, firmly clamp the lower 1/3 of the nasal septum with the nose ring pliers, quickly puncture the nasal septum, and withdraw the nose ring pliers.
4. Installation of the nose ring: Insert one end of the opened nose ring into the punctured hole in the nasal septum, join the nose ring together, and tighten the fixing bolt so that the nose ring closes tightly.
5. Disinfection of the surgical site: Use 5% iodine tincture to disinfect the wound and the area around the nose ring once again to prevent infection of the wound.