Inspect the bull's feet, toes, heels, pasterns, knees, hocks, sheath, and testicles and study his movement carefully to see that he moves freely and strikes the ground evenly with each hoof. Many structural problems are heritable and should be particularly discriminated against in bulls whose daughters will be kept for replacements. Minor structural problems can be tolerated in a terminal sire as long as they do not effect his longevity or ability to service cows. The tolerance level for structural problems should be determined beforehand, not while looking at prospective herd bulls. Visually evaluating a bull for structural soundness also affords an excellent opportunity to evaluate disposition or temperament.
Disposition is heritable.
A bull with poor disposition not only causes problems himself, he also produces daughters that can make the cow herd more difficult to work. A good prediction of bull fertility can be made by a complete breeding soundness exam that includes a semen test, scrotal measurement, and a physical examination of the reproductive tract. Commercial bull buyers should not hesitate to ask seedstock breeders for a breeding soundness examination on all prospective herd bulls. Often they will produce acceptable semen when rechecked. A minimum scrotal circumference for bulls should be established as a selection goal.