Support Your Bulls This Mating Season
Protein and Energy
Protein and energy play key roles in the reproductive performance of bulls, both during their pre-pubertal development, and their seasonal performance long term.
Yearling Bulls
For young bulls, puberty is onset by body weight in relation to age, rather than by age itself2,3. And liveweight gain is directly related to dietary energy and protein intake. Therefore, providing sufficient protein and energy daily is key to aiding young bulls to reach puberty faster2,3. It also influences their reproductive hormone production, testicular development (scrotal circumference and testicle mass), and sperm production (volume and quality)3. Feeding bulls below their maintenance requirements can result in reduced scrotal circumference, less testicular mass, and a lower sperm count5.
Mature Bulls
Trace Elements
Forage Max Block
SealesWinslows Forage Max block is the idea tool to support your bulls this mating season.
This 22.5kg dehydrated molasses block ticks all the boxes: protein, energy, and trace elements. The dehydrated nature of this blocks, combined with the addition of soyabean oil, supplies 12MJME/kgDM in the form of readily available sugars and fat. The block also contains soyabean meal, providing 12% crude protein/kgDM. Lastly, the block contains macro minerals, vitamins, and trace elements, all formulated to complement typical New Zealand pastures, and support the trace element requirements of breeding bulls6.
For more information on how forage blocks may benefit your bulls, speak with your local TSR.
References
1. Beef + Lamb New Zealand. (2017). Managing beef cows prior to, and during mating.
2. Brown, B. (1993). A review of nutritional influences on reproduction in boars, bulls and rams. . Reprod Nutr Dev.
3. Singh, A., Kumar, P., Singh, A. K., Kerketta, S., Rk, Y., Rajak, S. K., & Yogi, R. K. (2018). Nutrition and bull fertility: A review. Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies, 6(6), 635–643. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329177644
4. Pal, R. P., Mani, V., Mir, S. H., & Singh, R. K. (2017). Importance of Trace Minerals in the Ratio of Breeding Bull-A Review Trace element research View project Feed additives for better productivity of ruminants View project. Article in International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences. https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2017.611.026
5. Majumder, A., Thakur, M., Bhakat, M., Saha, M., Mohanty, K., & Mondal, G. (2020). Effect of Dietary Copper and Zinc Supplementation on Semen Quality of Murrah Bulls. RESEARCH ARTICLE Indian Journal of Animal Research, 54, 1260–1264. https://doi.org/10.18805/ijar.B-3887
6. National Research Council. (2000). Nutrient Requirements of Beef Cattle. In Nutrient Requirements of Beef Cattle. National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/9791