Feeding of breeding bulls

FEEDING OF BREEDING BULL CALVES AND BULLS

Feeding of bull calves

  • Animals which are earmarked to be raised as future breeding sires, should generally be kept on a liberal amount of milk for the first six months or more of their life. Milk is also supplemented with calf starter from two weeks of age onwards along with good quality hay.
S.No.
Age of bull calves
Quantity to be given ( kg)
Concentrate
Green fodder
Dry fodder
1.
6 to 12 months
2.5
5 - 7
Adlibitum
2.
1 to 2 years
3.0
7 -10
Adlibitum
  • Young males to be used for draft purpose should only be castrated at 12 to 15 months of age and their feeding schedules should be identical to that of heifers. To economize the cost of feeding more green fodder and hay can be fed ( upto 15 -20 kg /day ).

Feeding bulls in service

  • Breeding bulls are to be fed good quality fodders and concentrates to keep them active. In addition the bulls should be regularly exercised to keep it in prime condition.

Nutrient requirement of breeding bulls(Ranjhan,1998)

Live weight
( kg )
DCP
g
TDN
kg
ME
Mcal
Ca
g
P
g
Carotene
mg
Vitamin A
1000 IU
400
380
3.6
13.0
18
13
40
16
500
450
4.5
16.2
20
15
53
21
600
530
5.4
19.4
22
17
64
26

  • When berseem/lucerne/cowpea are available they can be fed along with the straw or other good quality roughages like oats without any concentrate. However, when straws form the basal ration, concentrate are to be fed.
  • When non-leguminous green fodders, like oat, maize, sorghum, good grazing etc, form the basal roughage there is no need to feed concentrate mixture.
Last modified: Wednesday, 4 April 2012, 6:13 AM