Fertility is much more important to farm profitability than the growth rate and meat qualities of animals. The most important economic key numbers regarding fertility are inter-calving time and age at first calving. The latter depends heavily on the circumference of the father's scrotum. In some breeds of cattle, scrotal circumference has been shown to be clearly correlated with the quantity and quality of semen produced. In other words, a bull with an above-average scrotum circumference will produce more and better semen than its peers which can obviously influence pregnancy results. Therefore, given this great importance, internationally acceptable minimum standards that stud bulls must meet have been established.
International standards for scrotal circumference | |
---|---|
Age in months | Minimum scrotal circumference (cm) |
>12-15 | 30 |
>15-18 | 31 |
>18-21 | 32 |
>21-24 | 33 |
>24 | 34 |