pdfangus":2cbp887o said:
it is not a race......
attention to detail will get more cows pregnant that breeding sixty cows per hour....
detail in every aspect of the process....water temperature....proper gun preparation, semen handling, and finally the service....
develop a proper process and stick to it....
it has long been known that older men have a harder time learning to AI....younger people and women seem to catch on more easily...
but everyone can learn to do it...
Besides the above, I really think one thing that is frequently not considered is "chute side manner". Your calmness will generally help to keep the cow calmer, calm voice when talking to someone around you and/or the cow and confidence in what you are doing also helps. In a way it's not much different then a doctors "bedside manner". We have all been to doctors that we just dont feel comfortable with and others that we do. No different with a cow. A friend of mine has a terrible time getting cows to settle and you can tell the cows are not comfortale with him. On the other hand I settle his cows and you can tell they're more relaxed with me. He has a tendency to get frustrated when he has a hard time either finding the cervix or the OS or when the cow blows up her colon. Attitude makes a world of difference.