Breeding soundness evaluation of young beef bulls – comparison of andrological characteristics of breeds typically found in Hungary
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17205/aweth.7326Keywords:
andrology, bull, beef cattle, reproductive biologyAbstract
For efficient and productive breeding, it is essential to perform insemination with suitable genetic material. While artificial insemination offers opportunities for targeted genetic progress, the foundation of natural mating also requires assessing the health status and reproductive biological indicators of the sires and cows. Breeding soundness evaluation of bulls can give useful information about fertility. This examination includes evaluating the external and internal reproductive organs of bulls, as well as morphological and motility analysis of semen. The comprehensive set of basic health, reproductive biological, and functional examinations, enables healthy and efficient breeding. These examinations contribute to maintaining animal welfare and advancing cattle breeding. Our goals were to characterize the typical (healthy) andrological parameters of young bulls from various locally bred breeds and identify potential differences between breeds. Based on our results, we obtained a characteristic profile of the average scrotal circumference, right and left testicular length, and semen motility/morphological characteristics of 10–14-month-old bulls of beef cattle breeds. We did not confirm significant andrological differences between the examined breeds.
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