Select Sires

SELECTIONS - Fall 2004
Semen Thawing Tips

With the weather turning cold, this is an excellent time to take a moment to review one of the most basic aspects of the A.I. program – semen handling.

The fertility of dairy cattle is influenced by a host of factors, most of which we have very limited, if any, control. Something so straightforward as our semen-handling procedures should never become the limiting factor in reproductive efficiency. To brush up on these procedures in your herd, contact your local Select Sires Reproductive Solutions™ specialist.

Keep every part of the semen-thawing and inseminating process as clean as possible.
Make sure frozen straws stay frozen - keep them as low as possible below the tank’s frost line, use long forceps or tweezers to remove straws. Keep an up-to-date inventory card and make sure you have enough light to see so straws and canes can quickly be found, removed and the canisters returned to their normal storage location.
Keep the thaw bath within arm’s reach of the nitrogen tank, with water temperature about 95 degrees F (a range of 92 to 98 degrees F is acceptable). Make sure multiple straws in your thaw bath do not come in direct contact with each other.
Pay attention to time - 45 seconds for semen thawing and 10 to 15 minutes maximum interval from thaw bath to insemination Once thawed, make sure anything that comes in contact with the straw is prewarmed to about 95 degrees and place the loaded gun inside clothing to protect it.

™Reproductive Solutions 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