AI

[D.R. Cattle]

I want to AI some of my heifers next breeding season and was wondering where you guys rate the difficulty level. I never took the course but asked a few locals who do it and did a lot of reading. Doesn't look or sound too complicated. Those experienced would you do it without formal training?

 

[txag]

I want to AI some of my heifers next breeding season and was wondering where you guys rate the difficulty level. I never took the course but asked a few locals who do it and did a lot of reading. Doesn't look or sound too complicated. Those experienced would you do it without formal training?

no way would i do it w/o the formal training. the formal training will give you all the info you've read as well as hands-on practice. the hands-on is the important part. they will teach you everything from storing & thawing to heat detection/estrus cycle & synchronization to the actual a.i.'ing. i took the a.i./palpation combo.

 

[D.R. Cattle]

Yeah I guess I'll have to go ahead with the inevitable. The palpation part is something I knew I couldn't do accurately by reading. Palpating the calf is one thing. Determining the age is another. Thanks for the advice.

 

[D.R. Cattle]

It might be tough for me to find an AI clinic down here between May and August. Although much bigger than most think, Florida isn't exactly known for cattle.

 

[dun]

You may have to travel a bit to get to a good school. Check with your local semen reps to see if they have a local school.

It might be tough for me to find an AI clinic down here between May and August. Although much bigger than most think, Florida isn't exactly known for cattle.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm fairly new to AI and only have one season under my belt but I found heifers much harder than cows. Couldn't get a good hold on their cervix and kept loosing it. Didn't have any problems with the cows, probably an experience level thing.

 

[dun]

Heifers can be a tricky deal. Some folks never get the knack, others have problems with cows that have the big cauliflower OS.
Being the warped individual that I am, I actaully enjoy breeding cows. We had thought of changing the name of the AI service from "Valley Breeding Service" to "Greensleeves Breeding Service".

dun

I'm fairly new to AI and only have one season under my belt but I found heifers much harder than cows. Couldn't get a good hold on their cervix and kept loosing it. Didn't have any problems with the cows, probably an experience level thing.