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Post by ladena on Aug 4, 2014 21:10:18 GMT -5
Even though I'm not in the market for anymore cows I'm always checking to see what is for sale. I frequently run across ads for "proven" bulls that are either young and have "bred all our cows" but no calves have been born or they are several years old with one or two calves on the ground. I realize that not everyone has a large herd of cows to breed but does potential calves or one or two actual calves qualify a bull as proven?
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Post by legendrockranch on Aug 4, 2014 21:44:00 GMT -5
This is what I have seen as a definition of a proven sire.
"a sire whose genetic credentials have been established by the production performances of his offspring in a properly conducted progeny test".
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Post by kansasdexters on Aug 4, 2014 22:09:11 GMT -5
I believe that most of those ads are using the term "proven sire" incorrectly. A proven sire is one that has offspring that are old enough to be evaluated for the functional traits of the breed. In the case of the Dexter breed, that means milk production and meat production, and that means the offspring are around 2-years old, minimum.
When considering the purchase of a herd sire, it can be very beneficial to the buyer to ask for (and pay for) a Breeding Soundness Evaluation (BSE), done by a veterinarian. In this evaluation, the scrotal circumference is measured, the bull's reproductive organs are examined and palpated, and a small amount of semen is sampled and examined for morphology and motility. The BSE is helpful assurance that a herd sire prospect is in good health, is well formed, and is fertile. Whether or not he "proves" out is determined later, by the offspring he sires.
Patti
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Post by kansasdexters on Aug 5, 2014 11:48:32 GMT -5
Our vet charges $35 to do a breeding soundness examine and he prepares a written report on each bull. We believe that it is well worth doing this evaluation to assure that our virgin yearling bulls are reproductively sound, prior to offering them for sale or use. Please note that a bull should be at least 12-months old when he has this evaluation done.
The first Dexter bull that we ever purchased, we paid $100 to have the Seller take the bull to the vet and have this evaluation done, before we agreed to purchase the animal. He was a virgin, yearling Dexter bull and we were driving 700 miles to go get him. That $100 was money well spent to make sure that the young bull was reproductively sound and ready to service our small herd (we only had 10 Dexter cows at the time). We spent a lot more than $100 on travel expenses, and if that bull had turned-out to be infertile, it would have been a total waste of our time and effort.
Patti
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Post by ladena on Aug 6, 2014 15:23:15 GMT -5
Thank you for the replies, Barbara, Patty and Gene.  |
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