Bulls failing MOT test

[HillLuing]

Just looking to see how others seem to get on

We MOT and Semen tested ohr bulls this year.
9 of them in total

2 failed on the day due to poor semen samples with not enough swimmers, oneis a 2year old virgin bull the otherjs a 4 year old bull who was used last 2 years with no issues

2 others have failed on there morphology but passed on the day so they need to be retaken

It is being done via the electro ejaculation way

How much do people find these accurate and im assuming risking it is probably not advised

 

[Purli R]

Need to get a sample from a proper jump ideally, probe job well known for not getting a "good" sample. Might depend how much money you got tied up in Bulls &/or how easily they can be replaced? Run few more cows with the good Bulls?

 

[HillLuing]

Need to get a sample from a proper jump ideally, probe job well known for not getting a "good" sample. Might depend how much money you got tied up in Bulls &/or how easily they can be replaced? Run few more cows with the good Bulls?

Only reason havent tried to take a natural sample is no cows really easily near to bring in and none of the bulls are halter trained etc so makes it a bit more difficult

 

[Pan mixer]

I wonder if a bull who is a bit stale - like your vigin lad, has less swimmers because the build up in the system?

 

[M-J-G]

It's just a test on the day, do them again, they'll likely be fine.

Did the vet comment on their balls, too big, too small, too round etc.?
Have they been lame, running a temp, stressed due to fighting?

Heavily muscled bulls tend to be more likely to fail, as are fat ones.

 

[Samcowman]

How soon do you need them to work? Had one this year that only just failed but the test was done early, so running him with another good pass bull on a small group of cows on the hill that only really needs one bull but that sometimes splits up so gets 2. He will be going after service this year. Had a complete fail last year he went straight away.
the vets do say if they haven’t worked for a while it can be not the best sample so to recheck.

 

[HillLuing]

Answer a few questions as i feel ive done all can do on famr side.

All were perfect health wise, C.S, scrotal suze etc which is good, all feet been trimmed up a while back so no issues of lameness and none needed treated during winter!


The 2 that failed on the day, they have been ran inside shed with a few of our fattening heifers to clean the pipes as they say so for virgin bull etc it gets his swimmers going well.

2 that failed there morphology was for bent tails on semen so not good swimmers, ver says this just corrects itself but all 4 are getting retested end of this week! Been 3 weeks since first test but there needed mid june so cant leave much longer.

Just never done tests so unshre how religiously people follow the results to not use etc, as i see on here and agree when folk say sub fertile can be worse than infertile

 

[Suffolksucklers]

We had an Angus two years back which failed his first test but then had him retested six weeks later in case he was a bit stale, under vets advice. Passed that one well so turned him out with the cows. Out of 46, it is our last calving bunch so it is a mix of early heifers and late calvers so well spread out, he only got 30. Became suspicious about a month before scanning so turned our old blonde bull in and when we had them rechecked a little later he had served 11 out of the 12 emptys (empty bulling heifers went straight in the fat shed at first scanning) in that month so must have been the angus bull rather than the cows.

Depends on how religious you are about your calving pattern but I don't think I would do it again. Luckily we have managed to get most of them back to our pattern this year

 

[Werzle]

Sometimes with abit of time a bull with a failed test will come right but a failed test here and there gone, too risky to have empty cows or a ruined calving pattern. More and more infertile bulls about for some reason and usually the really nice looking ones

 

[Woolless]

Sometimes with abit of time a bull with a failed test will come right but a failed test here and there gone, too risky to have empty cows or a ruined calving pattern. More and more infertile bulls about for some reason and usually the really nice looking ones

No mystery to that, 'the really nice ones' may well have been stuffed with cake before sale. Not the case with the OP's homebred bulls though.

 

[Werzle]

No mystery to that, 'the really nice ones' may well have been stuffed with cake before sale. Not the case with the OP's homebred bulls though.

Nice looking conformation has nothing to do with being stuffed with grub, sods law usually aims the worse luck on the best stock.

 

[Bucks Boy]

Nice looking conformation has nothing to do with being stuffed with grub, sods law usually aims the worse luck on the best stock.

Line breeding. Pedigree owners love doing it. Gives them the best conformation.

 

[Woolless]

Nice looking conformation has nothing to do with being stuffed with grub, sods law usually aims the worse luck on the best stock.

Well a high protein diet will allow the development of muscle but the genetics have to be there in the first place, yes.

I was asked to collect livers at slaughter from a couple of young bulls. This was to aid the investigation of copper poisoning in pedigree Lim and BB bulls apparently due to the levels in the feed. The vet I was talking to could scarcely believe the amount of cake they were getting. I would say if there was a problem with joints, fertility or whatever, it was a bit more than 'bad luck'.