3 Ways to Artificially Inseminate Cows and Calves

2024 Author: Samantha Chapman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 09:13

Artificial insemination (AI) is the second most common method used to breed livestock. It would, in fact, be the only alternative to cattle breeding using the natural method, which consists of mating a male with females. Artificial insemination is, however, used more often on dairy farms than it is used on beef farms, although it is gaining ground in slaughter cattle farming due to easier access. and the commercialization of genetic material above the norm. Correctly practicing artificial insemination on livestock is important to obtain a high success rate in breeding breeding, in cases where owning a herd bull is neither profitable nor advisable.

The following steps constitute a reasonably detailed article describing the artificial insemination of livestock. To fully understand how artificial insemination occurs and obtain the necessary qualifications to artificially inseminate cattle, visit a company that sells bull sperm or collects, stores and sells bull sperm. Find out if they offer qualification courses for cattle insemination or for cattle insemination technicians, so you can attend these courses for more information. It would be very useful if you don't have a bull to use for breeding your cattle.

You may also want to hire a qualified and experienced artificial insemination technician to fertilize your cows. Contacting a technician would be the best solution.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Observe Females and Choose them Carefully

Step 1. Observe your cows and / or calves to check if they are in heat

Females go into heat approximately every 21 days and the heat period lasts roughly 24 hours.

• Read the following article: How to Determine When a Cow is in Heat for any physiological, behavioral and physical signs of heat.

  Many periods of heat begin or end around dusk or dawn

Step 2. Females should be inseminated approximately twelve hours after the end of the heat period

During this time, the female ovulates and an egg is released from the fallopian tubes waiting to be fertilized by a bull's sperm.

Step 3. Calmly, using the correct techniques, take the calves or cows to a labor bay (or an area where you have installed a cattle head restraint, which should be sufficient) and trap the first female in the head restraint

If there are others behind her, make sure they are behind another gate to prevent them from crushing you in an attempt to move forward in line. If you have a cage included labor wing, use it for insemination. Some barns are set up so that the cows are placed on supports or head blocks located in a row next to each other. This is very convenient for the insemination technician who has to work on more than fifty cows a day!

If you practice insemination outdoors, it would be best to do it on warm, sunny days, not when the weather is rainy, windy or even stormy. If you have a system set up inside a shed or barn, all the better

Method 2 of 3: Pre-Insemination Operations

Step 1. Prepare hot water between thirty-four and thirty-five degrees Celsius in a thermos

Use a thermometer to be as accurate as possible.

Step 2. Choose the sperm container you want to use

To avoid unnecessary research, paste an inventory on the various tanks that identifies the sperm of the bulls.

Step 3. Take out the container and place it in the center of the tank

Lift the container high enough up to the neck of the tank and grab the desired sperm tube. Keep the end of the container or tube at the edge of the refrigeration area, which is two to three centimeters from the top of the tank.

Step 4. Grab the desired tube and then immediately return the container to the bottom of the tank

Hold the tube as low as possible inside the tank while removing the vial containing the sperm with tweezers.

• You only have 10 seconds to take the vial containing the sperm !!!

  

  Step 5. Shake the vial to remove excess liquid nitrogen (nitrogen evaporates quickly when exposed to air and warmer temperatures)

  

  Step 6. Immediately place it in the thermos with water and leave it there for forty or forty-five seconds

  

  Step 7. After placing the vial into the hot water, reinsert the tube into the container by lifting it up again and putting the tube back into the container

  Put the container back on the bottom of the tank to put it away.

  Whenever it takes more than 10 seconds to locate a tube, the container must be immersed back into the reservoir to cool it completely. Never reinsert a unit of semen into the tank once you have removed it from the vial

  

  Step 8. Prepare your artificial insemination gun by having it assembled first (this should be done before or after preparing the thermos with hot water

  If it is cold outside, heat the end of the gun that you are going to insert by placing it in your suit close to your body to warm it completely. Rubbing a paper towel on the metal bar also helps warm it. If it's hot outside, keep it in a cool place. The insemination gun should not be extremely hot or cold to the touch.

  

  Step 9. Remove the vial from the thermos and dry it with a paper towel

  Make sure it is completely dry before proceeding. Gently shake your wrist while holding it by the pinched end to loosen any air bubbles in the vial. By shaking it you should have moved the bubble towards the end you are holding.

  

  Step 10. Insert the vial into the metal rod of the gun

  Cut about an inch from the end of the vial. Use sharp scissors or special scissors and cut in the area where the air bubble is located.

  

  Step 11. Wrap the gun in a clean, dry paper towel or sheath and cover it with your clothing by holding it close to your body in order to bring it close to the cow and at the same time to maintain a constant temperature

  Method 3 of 3: Artificially Inseminate the Female Cattle

  

  Step 1. Move the tail so that it is on top of your left forearm or tie it so it doesn't interfere with the insemination process

  Lift the tail with one hand (preferably the right hand) and gently insert the other (which should be gloved and lubricated) into the cow to remove any feces that may interfere with the correct insertion of the gun into the cow's vagina.

  

  Step 2. Wipe the vulva with a clean paper towel or rag to remove excess debris and manure

  

  Step 3. Take the gun out of your jacket or suit, and remove the sheath, then insert it at a 30 degree angle into the cow's vulva

  This is to avoid accidentally inserting it into the urethra opening inside the bladder.

  

  Step 4. With your left hand in the cow's rectum (where it should have been from the beginning), try to find with your fingertips through the wall of the rectum and vagina, the position of the tip of the gun and accompany it up to reach the cervix

  

  Step 5. Grab the cervix with the hand you hold in the cow's rectum (as you would grab a bar under your hand) and hold it steady as you thread the gun bar into and through the cow's cervix

  

  Step 6. When the bar is inserted into the cervix, check its position with your index finger

  The bar should only penetrate the uterus an inch or two.

  

  Step 7. Slowly squeeze the trigger on the end where your right hand is so that about half of the sperm is deposited

  

  Step 8. Double check the position of the sperm to make sure you are in the cow's uterus and not in any of its "blind spots" (see advice below) and inject the other half of the contents of the vial as well

  

  Step 9. Slowly remove the gun, hand and arm from inside the cow

  Check for any blood, infection, or semen leaking from the cow.

  

  Step 10. Double-check the vial to make sure you used the right bull sperm for the cow

  

  Step 11. Throw away the vial, glove and towels

  

  Step 12. If necessary, clean the insemination gun

  

  Step 13. Make a note of the insemination information on any registration system at hand

  

  Step 14. Release the cow (if necessary, depending on the type of equipment you have) and position the other cow to be inseminated

  

  Step 15. Check the temperature of the water in the thermos before moving on to the next cow

  

  Step 16. Repeat the procedure with another cow

  Advice

  • Always hold the tip of the pipette at a 30 degree angle, not downward, to avoid penetrating the bladder.
  • Keep insemination equipment clean, warm and dry.
  • Avoid contact between insemination equipment and lubricants, as lubricants often contain spermicide.

  • Use your fingers to move and place the insemination gun inside the cow's vagina. In particular, you must avoid two blind spots when approaching the cow's cervix.

    • A round pouch placed on the back of the cervix forms a dead end, and is located at a depth of about four centimeters. This pocket surrounds the entire posterior dome of the cervix
    • Furthermore, the cervix is not a straight and narrow passage. It is littered with bumps that look like fingers and make the passage crooked. They are also the cause of dead ends and closed pockets, which can cause problems for anyone who wants to learn how to artificially inseminate livestock.
  • Do not go far beyond the cervix with the insemination gun. Otherwise, you could cause an infection or affect the uterine walls.
  • Use only one vial of semen at a time. You have to work on one cow at a time, so it's best to thaw each unit of sperm individually.
  • Take your time while inseminating livestock. There is nothing worse than being in too much of a hurry, because too much rushing is often the cause of errors compared to a procedure done calmly and slowly.

  Warnings

  • Artificial insemination is actually much more difficult than it looks. Many mistakes are made in placing the pipette (or rod, or insemination gun) in the uterine tract of the cow, because the pipette often moves easily, and it is impossible to accurately control the position of the pipette.
  • Low conception rates are very common among cows treated by inexperienced technicians.
  • Pay attention to the blind spots we talked about in the advice section.