Select Sires

Proper Semen Handling in Cold Weather
(Part Two)
Transcript of Select Sires' Reproductive Moment Program
on DairyLine Radio Which Aired Nov. 17, 2005
With Ray Nebel,
Extension Specialist and Professor of Reproductive Management,
Virginia Tech

Ray, we continue our discussion on semen handling tips during cold weather. First let's recap what you said last week: the goal is to keep that semen at the same temperature that it was thawed, even though the outside temperature could be below freezing.

In semen handling, if the weather is starting to cool off, we need to maintain that semen at that temperature at which it was thawed. We recommend 95 degrees Fahrenheit. The normal thawing procedure is 95 degrees for a minimum of 40 seconds. And that 40 seconds brings that semen up to that temperature. We are starting to get cool temperatures, so its more critical that we maintain that temperature on our way to inseminate that cow. If we don’t, we get into the condition known as cold shock. Cold shock damages the sperm irreversibly, and that semen then will lower the conception rate of that inseminate.

Talk a little bit more about cold shock, and the effect it has on reproduction.

There is more than enough sperm put in the straw normally. A normal dose has roughly 50 million sperm. So, after freezing and thawing, cold shock would damage some. The difference between technicians is how the semen is handled before it gets to the cow. It's almost impossible to eliminate 100 percent of the cold shock. So the quality of the technician is how well he can do it to minimize cold shock. What happens in cold shock is that the lipid membrane in the sperm is actually changed, and that affects motility, so the sperm go in circles. So the sperm is still alive, but their chance of undergoing the actual fertilization is fairly nil.

So, having the Select Sires representative on hand, or perhaps giving some guidance during the cold winter months, probably wouldn’t hurt either, would it?

No, and we have a new fact sheet coming out on semen handling that should be out this fall. Again, we have videos in both English and Spanish, and all of our reproductive specialists from all the coops would be glad to go over semen-handling tips, especially for the winter, to prevent cold shock.

For more information, contact your local Select Sires Reproductive Solutions specialists. This reproductive moment has been with Ray Nebel From Select Sires.

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