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Fertility testing bulls & palpating heifers 16 December 2008 Page one of three |
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| Work starts early in the morning for Sean Sexton and Will Barker on a busy day to fertility test bulls and palpate heifers. | Will Barker keeps the bulls moving down the chute. |
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| Bob Richardson, Rob Tripson (holding down the rope keeping the head catch closed), and Sean Sexton look on as Doctor Harvey and his assistant, Stephanie, discuss the results of a semen test. | |
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| The bulls are semen tested prior to the start of breeding season to ensure their fertility and reliability in maintaining the herd's genetic profitability. Semen is collected using electro-ejaculation, then the sperm cells are examined under the microscope "....for concentration, motility (percent live) and morphology (percent normal)." Learn more from the IFAS publication: Managing Bull Fertility in Beef Cattle Herds |
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| Palpating a heifer. | |
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ABOVE: Many of the heifers were injected with a drug to promote estrus synchronization. This form of programmed breeding leads to a shorter calving season and more uniform calves. BELOW: Sean douses cattle with deworming medicine. Judging from the expression on the cattle's faces, the medicine does not taste very good. |
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Go to Page two of three > > |
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