Select Sires

Proper Semen Handling
Transcript of Select Sires' Reproductive Moment Program
on DairyLine Radio Which Aired Jan. 13, 2005
With Mel DeJarnette,
Reproductive Solutions Specialist™,
Select Sires Inc.

Mel, it’s getting pretty cold out there, and in this week’s Reproductive Moment you have some semen-handling tips for us.

Right, Bill. This is a good time to take a moment to review one of the most basic aspects of the good A.I. program, and that’s semen handling. Semen quality is one of the few components of the fertility equation over which the herd owner basically has almost complete control. Unfortunately, it is one of the most-overlooked aspects as well. The handling procedures that ensure high-quality semen is maintained from the thaw bath to the cow are pretty simple and straightforward. Make sure frozen straws stay frozen by keeping the canes and canisters as low as possible in the tank, below the frost line. And this is facilitated by using long forceps or tweezers to remove the straws. Keeping an up-to-date inventory card so we’re not rummaging through the tank to find the bull we want. And having enough light to see what we are doing so straws and canes can be found expediently, located and removed and the canisters returned properly to their normal storage location.

The thaw bath should be within arm’s reach of the nitrogen tank. Thaw water temperature should be 95 degrees [Fahrenheit] with an acceptable range of 92 to 98. The thermometer and thermostat must be routinely calibrated with a mercury or alcohol thermometer to make sure they stay accurate. When thawing multiple straws, make sure they do not come in direct contact with each other during the thawing process. Pay attention to time. It’s funny how 45 seconds required for semen thawing may seem like hours, while the recommended 10 to 15 minutes maximum interval from thaw bath to insemination seems to pass by in a blink of the eye.

Once thawed, we want to make sure anything that comes in contact with the straw is pre-warmed to about 95 degrees, and place the loaded gun inside clothing to protect it from cold shock, to keep it warm. Again, make sure you are not thawing more straws than you can deposit in the cows within 10 to 15 minutes. The most overlooked aspect of the semen handling process is hygiene. The uterus is a great environment for growing bugs, and any unwanted organisms introduced by poor hygiene will likely flourish and cause us problems.

If you want to know if your semen-handling hygiene is up to snuff so to speak, just ask yourself the following questions: Would you use your breeding kit for a lunch box? Would you use the thaw bath for a coffee cup? Or the breeding sheaths as sipper straws? If the thought makes you nauseous, you may have a problem. The fertility of dairy cattle is influenced by a whole host of factors, over most of which we have very limited, if any, control. We should never allow something so simple and straightforward as our semen-handling procedures to become the limiting factor in reproductive efficiency.

To brush up on semen-handling procedures in your herd, contact your local Select Sires Reproductive Solutions Specialist.

Thanks, Mel. That’s Mel DeJarnette, Reproductive Solutions Specialist at Select Sires.

™Reproductive Solutions Specialist is a trademark of Select Sires Inc.

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Select Sires Inc., 11740 U.S. 42 North, Plain City, Ohio 43064 / Phone: (614) 873-4683 Fax: (614) 873-5751