Bull Search Tool
Unlock your herd’s breeding potential with Bull Search Tool. This independent bull selection tool simplifies breeding decisions, giving you easy access data from bulls across various breeding companies for seamless comparison.
Key features
The Bull Search Tool is designed to help you find the best bulls to maximise genetic potential. Powered for industry-good and dairy farmers, this tool uses the latest pedigree and performance data, ensuring you have access to the most up-to-date information.
Here's how to make the most of it:
- Evaluate bulls using the most up-to-date genetic merit to ensure you’re selecting the right bulls for your herd.
- Compare bulls from various breeding companies, enabling you to make well-informed decisions.
Start using the Bull Search Tool today and take the next step towards unlocking your herd’s genetic potential.
Genetic base cow update
Each year, the genetic merit of the national herd improves. To reflect this improvement and the positive progress of our sector, we are updating the genetic ‘base cow’ (the genetic reference point for all dairy cattle in New Zealand), from June 20th. The new base cow will be younger, meaning that herd Breeding Worth will drop by approximately $185 as we move from a 2005 to a 2015 born animal. There will only be minimal re-ranking of herds, cows and bulls as a result. The change in BW is near identical across all animals. Follow the link to find out more about the change.
How to Use
1. Set your criteria or search for a specific bull
Use the filters to narrow down your search based on the traits that are most important to your breeding goals. If you have a specific sire you would like to search, enter the bull's details and submit. Want to know what criteria you should set? Check out our Animal Stats page to see the BVs of top-ranking bulls and cows
2. Review bull profiles
Examine the detailed profiles of the bulls that match your criteria.
3. Compare options
Utilise the comparison tools to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different bulls. If you would like to see the top-ranking sires, use the Ranking of Active Sires tool.
4. Make your selection
Choose the bulls that best align with your herd’s genetic improvement plan.
5. Build your team
Then visit your tailored bull team or continue to add to your team by visiting the Bull Team Builder tool.
What this tool doesn’t include
This selection tool doesn’t include traits where the ‘mid-point’ is optimal (i.e. teat placement) head over to the bull team builder to refine your team for these traits
This tool includes every bull enrolled with Animal Evaluation in NZ. If you can’t find a bull that you are interested in, get in touch with the marketer and let them know that you would like the bull to be enrolled. Marketers pay a fee to enrol bulls, and this is a key funding stream for NZAEL.
The latest Animal Evaluation run took place on 16 May 2025 (the next run is on 20 June 2025).
Try out other NZAEL tools
Access to the excel bull file
This file includes all Animal Evaluation (AE) enrolled sires, regardless of their age, BW Reliability or a number of daughters. The size of this file is approximately 15MB so it may take a while to download.
Download the BW Bull File.