What precautions should be taken when introducing breeding bulls?
As the saying goes: "A good cow benefits a single calf, but a good bull benefits the whole herd." In particular, with the increasing popularity of artificial insemination with chilled semen, the quality requirements for breeding bulls are growing ever higher, and their importance for improving and upgrading the entire herd has become even more prominent. Therefore, for cattle farms, when going out to purchase and introduce breeding bulls, farmers must pay attention to the following points.
1. Preparation before introduction. Before introduction, the isolation barn should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected and left empty for at least one week or more. Sufficient forage, feed, anti-stress drugs, drugs for treating common diseases, etc. should be prepared in advance, and feeding management personnel and professional technicians should be arranged.
2. Selection of the breeding cattle farm. Be sure to choose a breeding cattle farm that is large in scale, highly reputable, holds a "Breeding Livestock Production and Operation License", has sufficient breeding stock supply capacity, provides good after-sales service, and has a relatively high technical level.
3. Selection of breeding bulls. 1. Clear pedigree requirements. Pedigree records are an important way to compare the merits of cattle, so the farm from which cattle are introduced must have production records and pedigrees, and the records must be detailed and clear, such as production performance, growth and development, appraisal grade, etc., with at least three generations clearly documented; those with incomplete records must not be purchased. 2. Quality requirements. Choose those with obvious breed characteristics, with appearance and coat color meeting breed requirements; obvious male characteristics, normal reproductive organs, and two large and symmetrical testicles; well-proportioned structure, tall and large body type, robust constitution, body condition above average, prominent but not protruding hip bones, slightly visible but not obvious ribs, and visible but not abundant dewlap; semen quality meeting standards, and no obvious defects in body conformation and appearance.
4. Transport precautions. 1. Choose good weather for transport. 2. The transport vehicle should be thoroughly disinfected. 3. Complete the quarantine procedures properly. 4. Drive the vehicle smoothly, and make the cattle as comfortable as possible during transport.
5. Isolation feeding. After arrival, thoroughly disinfect the breeding bull's body surface and transport equipment with a mild disinfectant, then rinse clean with fresh water and move them into the isolation barn for isolation feeding. Strict epidemic prevention measures must be adopted to avoid the introduction of disease. After 45-60 days of isolation observation and another quarantine inspection, they can be mixed into the herd for feeding only after being confirmed disease-free. Long Zhaohui