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By Umar Nsubuga
Joseph Munerya, a resident of Mutyoru village, Kapchesombe parish, Kapchorwa district has been trying to train his bull how to plough but it does not want to learn.
He says it falls and refuses to get up, wondering what could be the cause.
Muhammad Kiyemba, a veterinary doctor says Munerya needs to know that there is a problem with the bull or his methods.
“Do you have the right bull for work? Is it the right age? Are you driving it too fast? Is it healthy anyway, or feeding properly?” he asks.
According to Kiyemba, all these factors determine whether your bulls work well or not. You can easily see bulls that have the potential to work.
He tips farmers on how to tell a potential bull.
- They tend to be robust and muscular, showing signs of strength on the shoulders and hindquarters. They also have short powerful legs.
- Bulls that are used to be handled by human beings, from calfhood, are easier to train.
- Do not hurry to put the animal to work until the right age. Most indigenous bulls are trainable by the age of two or two and a half years.
- In training, begin by only making the young bull get used to the harness, and to understand the instructions (verbal or gestures).
- It is better to have two or three short training sessions daily rather than one long session. After that, you introduce a small load.
- Increase the load gradually. Within a few weeks, the bull should be able to perform. However, do not give it heavy work until they are fully mature, usually at the age of four years.
- If you give them heavy work before, they become strong enough, they tend to become uncooperative. That is when they fall down and refuse to get up. This is because they feel you are trying to make them do the impossible.
- Many farmers use under-age bulls and make up for this error by harnessing four of them instead of two. However, this reduces their efficiency and increases the farmer’s operational costs. The fewer bulls, the better.
