As South African cattle producers emerge from winter and prepare for the spring breeding season ahead, now is the crucial time to focus on bull management – the foundation of any successful breeding programme.

By Maile Matsimela, Digital Editor at African Farming

In an article published on US-based Drovers and written by Angie Stump Denton, Kansas State University veterinarians Brad White and Todd Gunderson, and beef cattle nutritionist Phillip Lancaster, shared key breeding programme insights into how to treat bulls once they are pulled from pastures.

The leading veterinary and nutrition experts emphasise that rest and proper nutrition are essential for helping bulls recover from previous breeding seasons and prepare for optimal performance in the months ahead.

During the breeding season, bulls face significant physical demands that directly impact their body condition and reproductive capacity.

“A bull may lose anywhere from 100 lb to 200 lb [45kg to 90kg] of body weight during a breeding season,” said Gunderson. “He’s going to need at least a couple of months to recover body condition and complete spermatogenesis [the process of sperm cell development].”

A Comprehensive Approach To Bull Management

Successful bull management during the off-season requires attention to several critical areas, including:

1. Reproductive Health Assessment
Moving a bull from winter grazing directly into breeding conditions without proper preparation can severely compromise performance. A breeding soundness examination should be conducted well before the next breeding season begins.
Even if previous examinations showed positive results, a bull’s reproductive health can change significantly during intensive breeding periods. Sperm structure and motility can develop defects that impact fertility, making regular reassessment essential for maintaining breeding potential.

2. Nutritional Supplementation

South Africa’s diverse veld conditions require tailored nutritional strategies. Whether bulls are grazing natural veld or planted pastures, or are receiving supplemental feeding, producers must anticipate nutritional needs based on available forage resources.
As winter-veld quality typically declines, strategic supplementation becomes crucial for maintaining body condition and supporting reproductive recovery.

3. Body Condition Monitoring
Body condition scoring provides valuable insight, though it represents a lagging indicator of nutritional status.
“We typically want bulls [with] a body condition score of six when turning them out for breeding,” says Lancaster. “If he’s losing 100 lb to 200 lb [45kg to 90kg] during breeding, he’ll likely drop to a body condition score of five, [so] producers need to plan supplement strategies based on their [specific veld] resources.”

4. Veld Resource Evaluation

Whether grazing sourveld, sweetveld or mixed veld types, bulls require strategic nutritional support to ensure optimal fertility and performance in subsequent breeding seasons. Each operation presents unique challenges based on veld resources, rainfall patterns and regional conditions, but the importance of caring for bulls during non-breeding periods remains constant.