In this lecture, the approaches for breeding soundness evaluation of bulls are explained for veterinary students, practitioners, and aspirants of IAS, RAS, and other examinations.

1. BREEDING SOUNDNESS
EVALUATION OF BULLS
Prof. Dr. G.N Purohit
MVSC, PhD, MNVAS
Dean Post Graduate Studies and University Head Dept. Veterinary
(Gynecology & Obstetrics)
College of veterinary & Animal Science, RAJUVAS
Bikaner, Raj., India.
Email: gnpobs@gmail.com
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2. About Me : Professor G N Purohit, MVSc, Ph.D, MNVAS
Dean Post Graduate Studies and Head,
Department of Veterinary Gynecology and
Obstetrics, Veterinary College, Bikaner,
Rajasthan, India
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3. Todays Topic –Breeding soundness evaluation
■ <Topic 1>Steps in BSE
■ <Topic 2>Physical examination
■ <Topic 3>Examination of locomotor
system
■ <Topic 4>Examination of reproductive
organs
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4. Breeding soundness of a bull is the ability of
the bull to get cows pregnant. Breeding
soundness evaluation is a method developed
to assess breeding potential of bulls for
natural mating.
The evaluation identifies bulls
with poor potential breeding
ability, bulls with suboptimal
fertility and to generally
improve herd fertility.
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5. Various large studies worldwide have
found up to 20% or more of bulls
examined during routine screening
failed BSE. These failures are for a
variety of reasons including physical
problems and poor semen
quality.
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6. PURPOSE AND AIMS OF BSE
■ PURPOSE:
■ Evaluation of Bulls before purchase
■ Evaluation of bulls used in natural service/AI
■ Evaluation of bulls with Infertility problems
■ STANDARD ASSESSMENT OF THE BULLS REPRODUCTIVE ABILITY APPROPRIATE TO THE
CIRCUMSTANCES
■ STANDARD INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS
■ STANDARD FINAL CLASSIFICATION
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7. LIMITATIONS
■ IT IS ONLY MEANT TO BE A SCREENING PROCEDURE
■ THERE ARE MANY FACTORS BEYOND OUR CONTROL AND UNDERSTANDING
■ ACCLIMATISATION REQUIREMENTS OF PURCHASED BULLS
■ THE TEST MUST BE PRACTICAL AND ECONOMICALLY VIABLE
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8. THE STEPS FOR EVALUATION OF
THE BSE
■ 1. HISTORY.
■ 2. PHYSICAL EXAMINATION-Examination of all systems
Locomotor system
■ 3. REPRODUCTIVE EXAMINATION –External and internal
– MEASUREMENT OF SCROTAL SIZE.
■ 4. SEMEN EVALUATION.
■ 5. LIBIDO/MATING ABILITY
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9. History Ensure there has been no recent illness, lameness
or veterinary treatment that could influence semen quality
■ A disease control program for bulls should include
the following procedures:
■ 1) Before use, bulls should be checked for
brucellosis, tuberculosis, trichomoniasis, and
paratuberculosis (ie, from a herd free of
paratuberculosis).
■ Bulls previously used in other herds, particularly
herds in which disease status is not known, may
spread diseases, particularly campylobacteriosis
and trichomoniasis.
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10. PHYSICAL EXAMINATION
■ Body Condition Score
■ General Clinical Examination
Examination of the body systems
■ Eyes, heart and lungs and the buccal cavity.
■ Head and eyes
■ The upper and lower jaws should be of a similar
length (not undershot or overshot) and free of
abscesses or swellings. The eyes should be bright
and normal. Bos taurus type cattle have a relatively
higher proportion of squamous cell tumours in
unpigmented or partially pigmented regions around
the eyes.
■ ‘Pop eyes’ protrude from the profile of the head and
predispose the bull to cancer eye or injury to the eye.
From practical observations, eye cover or hooding
with well-set eyes would appear to provide greater
physical protection.
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11. Locomotor system
■ General body conformation, Head, shoulders and fore legs, Hind legs
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Front leg and shoulder structure of the bull

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14. Fore Legs
Valgus Deformity of Forelimbs Abnormal claws
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15. Front legs of a bull should be straight when viewed from the
front
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16. Pastern joint
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17. The hooves
Both hooves should be of suitable size to weight bear with
the claws of approximately equal size and shape. While
defects of the hooves are often associated with poor limb
conformation, they may be associated with overfeeding of
young bulls, mineral deficiencies, soft soil surface or lack of
exercise and confinement in a restricted area.
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18. GOVIND
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Worn toes are often an
indication of the hoof
being dragged, which
would suggest straight
hind legs. Common
problems in the hooves
include:
both hooves not
symmetrical in size and
shape, short hooves,
worn at the toe, often
associated with straight
hind legs
long, narrow hooves with
shallow heels, often
associated with weak
hocks and pasterns and
sometimes form scissor
hooves.

19. Hind Legs the angle of joints should be proper
Abnormal conformations (as viewed from side)
include
Sickle Hock
Post-legged (Postiness)
Camped behind
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20. Sickle Hock-
angle of tarsus is
small lead to swelling
of hocks and
lameness
Postiness-
angle of tarsus is
large such bulls lack
proper angulation of
stifle and hock
Camped behind
angle of tarsus is too
large. Bulls with such
defects frequently
shift their legs and
they swayback
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21. Hind Legs
Post legged Sickle hocks
Swollen Hocks (tarsitis)
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22. Abnormal hind leg conformation as viewed
from back include
Bow legged- hind limbs are curved medially
(require frequent trimming of hooves)
Cow-hocked-hind limbs curved laterally
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24. Progressive posterior
paresis- High
incidence in older
bulls
Crampiness or spastic
syndrome occurs in
mature bulls
Spastic paresis (Elso heel) affects young bulls
below 1 year of age
Chronic contractions of gastrocnemius and
superficial digital flexor muscles. Trembling round
contractions when bull rise. The affected limbs
swings and do not touch ground and and appears
short
Other defects include
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25. The walk
The gait should be well coordinated and smooth with the rear
hooves placed in the imprint of the front feet. As a bull moves
freely forward, each leg should pass through a plane parallel
to the mid-line of the body and not swing in or out as it is
carried forward.
Overstepping or understepping may be linked to serving
ability of the bulls. Bulls that understep often have straight
hind legs and have increased mating problems.
A bull should be capable of walking long distances, and be
able to maintain his body condition. He should have the
ability to detect females on heat, and be capable of serving
females as they display estrus. Soundness of limb and
skeletal structure contribute to the bull’s longevity and
functional effectiveness
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26. EXAMINATION
OF
REPRODUCTIVE
ORGANS
External organs
Testis, scrotum, penis
and prepuce
Internal organs of a bull
Seminal vesicles, prostrate
etc.
RECTAL
PALPATION
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27. Scrotal circumference and testicular tone
Scrotal circumference is a measure of the daily and total
sperm production of a bull. In Bos taurus bulls scrotal
circumference should measure 32cm at 2 years of age, whilst
Bos indicus bulls in harsh nutritional conditions should
measure 28cm at the same age. Testicular tone is an
approximate indicator of testicular function. The percentage
normal spermatozoa in an ejaculate produced by the testicles
is a preferable indicator of the bulls ability to sire calves.
The SC measurement is highly correlated to testicular weight
which in turn is directly related to sperm production.
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28. Testes and Scrotum
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The testicles should be symmetrical, nearly the same size, and freely
movable in the scrotum. Small size or degeneration often affects one testicle only and is a serious
finding.
There are three basic shapes in bulls. These are the "normal" or "bottle-shaped" scrotum,
"straight-sided" scrotum, and "wedge-shaped" scrotum. Bulls having a normal scrotum with a
distinct neck generally have the best testicular development

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Consistency Of The Testicle The consistency of the normal
testicle is much like a firm
rubber ball. Extremely hard testicles indicate infection
(orchitis) and very soft ones indicate
degeneration

30. GOVIND
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32. SHEATH AND PREPUCE
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The ideal sheath is one that:
is light, is loose, is firmly and evenly attached to
the underline for its whole length to achieve the
desired angle
does not have large areas of loose skin at the
navel or around the sheath has no sign of
protruding prepuce
Sheath size and shape
Large pendulous sheaths are not
uncommon in Bos indicus breeds and
will predispose the bull to prolapse and
preputial damage. Some bulls have a
very thick residue of the umbilicus
(navel) which is often associated with a
large inverted fold of skin referred to as
the ‘rosette’. Both of these conditions
appear to limit the bulls’ ability to sire
calves.

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35. Prolapse of the Prepuce
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36. Penile Deviations
The most common deviation of the penis in bulls is
premature spiral deviation or “corkscrew” penis
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37. Persistent Penile Frenulum
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Maximum number of cows per bull for pasture mating
Bull Age Number of cows
Yearling 15-20
2 year old 20-30
3 years 30-40

40. Based on the results of the BSE, a bull is then assigned to one of three classifications:
1. Satisfactory potential breeder (fertile).
This classification indicates that the bull:
· Passed a physical exam.
· Met the minimum requirements for scrotal circumference.
· Has at least 30 percent sperm motility.
· Produces at least 70 percent normal sperm.
2. Unsatisfactory potential breeder (sub-fertile or sterile).
· The bull did not pass at least one of the four components of the BSE. This does not
mean this bull cannot impregnate cows. It means that this bull will not efficiently breed
cows, and it is not recommended to use these bulls.
3. Deferred.
· The bull did not pass at least one of the four components of the BSE due to a condition
that may resolve with time or treatment. A “deferred” bull should be rechecked at a
later date recommended by the examining veterinarian.
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41. Contact me
Prof. Dr. G.N Purohit
MVSC, PhD, MNVAS
Head Dept. Veterinary (Gynecology & Obstetrics)
College of veterinary & Animal Science, Bikaner, Raj.India.
Email:gnpobs@gmail.com
Linked in : linkedin.com/in/dr-govind-narayan-purohit-13a04a17
YouTube Channel link : https://www.youtube.com/user
/gnpobs61/videos
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