Do hot air temperatures cause infertility in bulls?

pedigree 6

So the hol/fr bull here has undergone a spell of infertility. So much so that we were lucky we copped it and swapped him from the cows and put a younger bull in with the cows. But it looks like 6 cows now won't be incalf. But that's our usual culling figure anyway. So not too bad. I wouldn't have put no pass on this spell of infertility and passed it off as bad luck only for the fact that my next door neighbours also had a bull go infertile at the same time. Both bulls were into their second season of bulling and had excellent conception rates and very few repeats prior to this. Now I know a virus can knock fertility on it's head in bulls but I think the reason for an infertility is not the virus itself but is the increase in body temperature of the bull from the virus?
(God I hope it's not Schmallenberg).



Now biology has evolved the testicles to hang outside the body to keep them cool and the little swimmers from overheating and dying. Now I read somewhere I think that infertility might not show up, till 3 weeks after the cause/incident of the infertility. Be it overheating, virus, stress, whatever.

So the question is with biology having fashioned the testicles to hang outside the body can Hot air temperatures cause the spermy fellas to overheat and die before they reach the point of ejaculation and is there anything can be done to prevent this bar putting the bull in a cold shed or providing shade.



Bear in mind we have had air temperatures just touching 30 degrees in the southeast and body temperature I assume would climb up fairly high above this.

Answers from veterinarians and anyone knowledgeable about testicles greatly appreciated.:)

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

The body temperature of cattle ranges from 38.6 to 40.
The testicles are outside because the temperature of the testicles must be lower than the rest of the body temperature for optimal sperm production and storage. Cattle breed quite easily in counties where the temperature remain consistently higher than the odd daily maxima reached in Ireland this year.

pedigree 6

Levi Savory Birdbath wrote: »

The body temperature of cattle ranges from 38.6 to 40.
The testicles are outside because the temperature of the testicles must be lower than the rest of the body temperature for optimal sperm production and storage. Cattle breed quite easily in counties where the temperature remain consistently higher than the odd daily maxima reached in Ireland this year.

When I have you here now and you know the body temperature of cattle.
What would the optimal temperature of the testicles be to still remain fertile?
Basically what temperature range?

whelan2

I dont think the outdoor temperature would have anything to do with it. Sure bulls in France etc work away ok, have you scanned yet?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

pedigree 6 wrote: »

When I have you here now and you know the body temperature of cattle.
What would the optimal temperature of the testicles be to still remain fertile?
Basically what temperature range?

Anything below the body temperature. Temps above that would have to be for a sustained period to damage sperm.

pedigree 6

whelan2 wrote: »

I dont think the outdoor temperature would have anything to do with it. Sure bulls in France etc work away ok, have you scanned yet?

3 weeks went by and any cows bulling repeated so bull wasn't working.
Jumping on them and all looked ok from the outside but firing blanks.

It seems hot weather does cause infertility in bulls.
I heard of cases where bulls used to be moved in train freight carriages and the infertility wouldn't show up till 3 weeks from the bulls being in the carriages.
Reason getting too hot in the carriages.

More here.....

Bulls While most people consider the impact of heat stress on female fertility, the impact of heat stress in our bull herd during the breeding season should also be taken into account. Semen quality is shown to decrease when bulls are exposed to ambient temperatures of 86°F for 5 weeks or 100°F for 2 weeks. This is seen with a decrease in sperm concentrations, motility, and an increase in abnormal sperm cells in each ejaculate. Following a period of heat stress sperm quality does not return to normal for approximately 2 months.

https://mcdowell.ces.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Aug-13-bulls-eye.pdf?fwd=no

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

pedigree 6 wrote: »

3 weeks went by and any cows bulling repeated so bull wasn't working.
Jumping on them and all looked ok from the outside but firing blanks.

It seems hot weather does cause infertility in bulls.
I heard of cases where bulls used to be moved in train freight carriages and the infertility wouldn't show up till 3 weeks from the bulls being in the carriages.
Reason getting too hot in the carriages.

More here.....

https://mcdowell.ces.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Aug-13-bulls-eye.pdf?fwd=no

But, we didn't have those constant temperatures for those periods. That's in North Carolina!
What age is this bull?. Have you had him scanned?

greysides

I wouldn't think the temperatures in the SE were anywhere near causing problems but we'll find out later.... if the conception rate in the human populations drops dramatically in 9 months .... as humans also wear trousers and, often, jockey shorts.

Febrile conditions that would go fairly unnoticed but cause temporary fertility could include:

Leptospirosis
IBR
BVD
Tick Bourne Fever
Q fever
Photosensitisation (?)


Have you determined the fertility was/is temporary?

The link is to a Tennessee based source, if they was a known problem in this country I think we'd be aware of it.

pedigree 6

Levi Savory Birdbath wrote: »

But, we didn't have those constant temperatures for those periods. That's in North Carolina!
What age is this bull?. Have you had him scanned?

I don't think you can scan a bull?
Well you can but...

greysides

pedigree 6 wrote: »

I don't think you can scan a bull?
Well you can but...

Probably a typo. I presume he means tested. There's a vet in Enniscorthy that will do a fertility test.

pedigree 6

greysides wrote: »

I wouldn't think the temperatures in the SE were anywhere near causing problems but we'll find out later.... if the conception rate in the human populations drops dramatically in 9 months .... as humans also wear trousers and, often, jockey shorts.

Febrile conditions that would go fairly unnoticed but cause temporary fertility could include:

Leptospirosis
IBR
BVD
Tick Bourne Fever
Q fever
Photosensitisation (?)


Have you determined the fertility was/is temporary?

The link is to a Tennessee based source, if they was a known problem in this country I think we'd be aware of it.

Humans haven't got big hanging testicles like this fella has though.

He hasn't seen a cow since then.
I don't want to start calving all year round.

Good to know the other conditions that also cause infertility.

Bulls with big hanging testicles seem to be more affected by both cold and heat than bulls with small cahoonas.

Warmer cahoonas in humans results in more girls born. Everyone knows that.:p

pedigree 6

greysides wrote: »

Probably a typo. I presume he means tested. There's a vet in Enniscorthy that will do a fertility test.

No won't test.

His successor will be taking over for next year.
Breeding season is finished now anyway.

Someone in McDonalds will taste the wholesome goodness of this studmuffin.

charolais0153

In your link, it said it had to 86°F for 5 weeks to cause infertility, which is 35 consecutive days of 30° heat .

whelan2

charolais0153 wrote: »

In your link, it said it had to 86°F for 5 weeks to cause infertility, which is 35 consecutive days of 30° heat .

Aye the sunny south east

The part time boy

pedigree 6 wrote: »

Humans haven't got big hanging testicles like this fella has though.

Speak for your self !

bogman_bass

Warm weather can have a detrimental effect on semen quality with some bulls but bear in mind that sperm produced now isn't used for 6 weeks so it might take a while to see the effect of it

Source: I was a lab technician in an AI stud for 9 years

pedigree 6

charolais0153 wrote: »

In your link, it said it had to 86°F for 5 weeks to cause infertility, which is 35 consecutive days of 30° heat .

Feck, it was only 34 days at 27 c.:(
My bad.

yosemitesam1

pedigree 6 wrote: »

Feck, it was only 34 days at 27 c.:(
My bad.

It might be easier to cause that heat stress here than in those warmer places. They'd have a nice bit of time with low 20's before the real 30+ heat hits

pedigree 6

yosemitesam1 wrote: »

It might be easier to cause that heat stress here than in those warmer places. They'd have a nice bit of time with low 20's before the real 30+ heat hits

The reason I brought it up was well the obvious the bull went infertile and I read that I think even greysides said it here that it's not a virus or infection that causes the actual infertility but the increase in body temperature from the virus or infection that does the damage. Well that would be a sudden increase in temperature too.

If you had a bull running around a paddock repeatedly bulling 5 cows in a paddock with no shade on the days when I had to throw sand on the road to stop the lorries from taking up chunks of melting tarmacadam at the gateway. Wouldn't that bring about the same body temperature increase as a sudden virus?