Insemination of cows: methods and recommendations. Artificial insemination of cows: technique

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Today, in almost all countries that depend in one way or another on their own agriculture, an intensive path of development of the latter has been adopted. What does it mean? This suggests that farm managers are trying in every possible way to increase the productivity of their enterprises without increasing the number of means of production. This is especially evident in animal husbandry.

In modern animal husbandry, the barrenness of animals is completely unacceptable. Each cow must produce at least one calf annually. Of course, the lion's share in ensuring this task is played by feeding and the work of the veterinary service, but competent insemination of cows is extremely important.

Cases of not so distant days

One hundred years ago, the only way to get a calf was to naturally mate with a bull cow. Oddly enough, but artificial insemination of cows existed even then,but its effectiveness was at a regrettably low level. There is evidence that even the first pastoral civilizations experimented with soft sponges made from plant fibers.

They were placed in the vagina of animals, and after natural mating they were squeezed out. So the first attempts at simultaneous insemination of several animals at once were made. But the cow after insemination rarely turned out to be pregnant. As a rule, success contributed to the ancient breeders in less than 40% of cases.

The problem was that sperm (with such a barbaric method of obtaining them) often turned out to be deformed and non-viable, and therefore successful insemination of cows was far from every time.

No wonder there were bulls in every rundown household. Moreover, this continued (in our country, at least) until the 70-80s of the last century, and in some places the insemination of a cow by a bull is still used today. But doing so is strictly prohibited.

What is the reason why insemination of cows has become an exclusively "human" occupation? Everything is very simple. Leukemia and other diseases of livestock. It is only possible to guarantee the suppression of their sexual transmission if each sperm dose comes from one, verified animal.

Insemination tools, consumables

So, to inseminate a cow by artificial method (one of three), you will need a lot of tools and equipment. The most important are listed below.list:

• Thermostat-defrost.
• Dewar vessel, which stores frozen semen for insemination of cows.
• Syringe-catheter.
• Optical microscope.
• Gloves.
• Vaginal speculum.
• Illuminator.
• A bag for tools used for artificial insemination of cows. Instruction (official) for the inseminator technician.

In addition, a sufficiently large supply of reagents is needed to disinfect the environment and test the viability of sperm.

Basic information on setting up an artificial insemination station

Each certified EMB must include the following:

• Entrance vestibule with disinfection mat.
• Spacious playpen.
• A fully equipped laboratory is at the heart of any item.
• Washer.
• Storage room.
• Machines for insemination, but they are only in those AI points that are located in breeding farms. In other cases, the operator works "in the field".

Note that the arena must have sufficiently powerful lighting devices that provide proper comfort during work. If there are machines, they are made strictly according to the GOSTs provided for this purpose, because the fixing devices must be both reliable, but at the same time not frighten or injure the animals fixed in them.

Multiple buckets are required (preferablymetal, they are easier to sterilize), the playpen should have a washbasin, containers for making disinfectant solutions, as well as an Esmarch mug. In the room of the inseminator, a separate room with forced ventilation is also being made, where the Dewar vessel with frozen sperm will be stored.

Laboratory and washroom location

The laboratory itself must be located in a fairly spacious and bright room, the entrance to which should be available only from the side of the washing room. There should be a microscope for assessing sperm counts, cabinets for storing tools and reagents, and a refrigerator.

Washing is located directly in front of the entrance to the arena. As the name implies, wash basins and equipment for washing tools, appliances and utensils used in the manufacture of reagents are placed here. Also in this room there may be a separate washing machine for washing towels, outerwear technicians. There are also additional tables and cabinets for storing equipment, an electric stove for boiling water and preparing solutions. All premises must be as spacious as possible, clean, bright and dry.

Basic insemination methods

Currently, artificial insemination of cows is carried out by three main methods:

• Rectocervical.
• Visocervical.
• Manocervical.

Rectocervical insemination

The most common method by which artificial insemination is carried outcows. What is it? Its name consists of two parts: the rectum is the rectum. Cervix is the cervix. Simply put, the cervix with this method of insemination is fixed rectally. How is insemination performed?

The operator, having previously loaded the syringe, washes the external genital organs of the animal and the area of the rectum. He inserts a gloved hand for rectal examination into the rectum of the animal. After making several rotational movements and achieving relaxation of the organ, he finds the cervix, which looks like an oblong ribbed cylinder, and fixes it.

With the other hand, the inseminator inserts the syringe for insemination of cows into the vagina and, gently moving it forward, inserts its tip into the cervix. The main task is to carry it as far as possible, but at the same time not to injure the delicate mucous membrane lining the organ. After that, a dose of sperm is injected into the uterus. With the hand remaining in the rectum, the operator makes several massage movements, evenly distributing the sperm in the cavity of the organ. After work, the external genital organs are washed again with a weak solution of potassium permanganate or furatsilin.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of this method of insemination? Let's start with the disadvantages. Firstly, the operator is required to be extremely careful: nevertheless, his second hand is in the rectum, and at any moment (if the inseminator is not careful), a piece of manure can fly right onto the syringe. And this, as you can understand, puts an end to the necessary sterility of the equipment. Everything has to start over. What else is wrong with this technique of artificial insemination of cows?

Secondly, young and inexperienced specialists are far from always able to find the cervix, and with its fixation, everything is even worse. As a result, the syringe is inserted at best ¼ of its length, which automatically reduces the effectiveness of the insemination procedure to unacceptably low values. In addition, due to poor fixation and inability to help the pipette, it happens that the operator injures the mucous membrane of the cervix.

And now about the virtues. Oddly enough, but it is rectocervical insemination of cows and heifers that is the most hygienic method. If you think about it, there is nothing unusual in this. Judge for yourself: only a thin pipette is inserted into the cow's vagina. At the same time, it is sterile and does not carry any microflora.

By the way! If a cow has discharge after insemination, it makes sense to take a closer look at them: if the secret is cloudy and with impurities of yellowish inclusions, this almost certainly indicates an infection.

By fixing the cervix, experienced operators fully inject the dose of semen into the uterine cavity, thereby greatly increasing the likelihood of fruitful insemination. In addition, for this work there is no need for any "sophisticated" tools: you only need a glove and a pipette with a pre-filled dose of sperm. So there is nothing surprising in the fact that it is rectocervical insemination that is currently the most widespread in all countries where dairy and beef cattle are engaged. What other ways are there to inseminate cows?

Visocervical method

As in the previous case, the name consists of two words. You already know the meaning of the word cervix, and the root "visio" means "to see, notice." That is, with this method of insemination, the operator directly sees the cervix. How does this become possible? It's all about how exactly the cows are artificially inseminated in this case.

The main one is the vaginal speculum. This tool is similar to a kind of tongs, only their branches, when pressed, diverge in two directions. In this case, the walls of the vagina are stretched to the sides, and the inseminator sees the cervix. Accordingly, after that, a syringe with a dose of sperm is inserted into it and the seed is squeezed into the internal cavity of the organ.

What are the strengths and weaknesses of this technique? Let's start with the merits. Firstly, with the visocervical method of insemination, the operator sees the cervix and can check the correctness of the introduction of the pipette visually. This is especially valuable for young professionals who do not yet have the necessary experience.

Besides what is much more valuable, you can assess the condition of the animal's genitals. This makes it much easier to notice the signs of an infection before it actually starts to show up. By the way, if insemination of cows is carried out after calving (in two or three months), then first of all the animal is examined for the presence of endometritis (including latent).

Unfortunately, there are also enough negative moments. Unlike the previous method, where only a "small-sized"pipette, in this situation, the operator is forced to insert his hand into the genitals. Before this, it is required to wash the external genital organs very carefully, and still no one will give any guarantee of maintaining sterility. In addition, when young animals are inseminated in this way, there is a considerable chance of damaging the mucous membranes of the vagina (if the operator has a large hand).

Other imperfections

Finally, with this method of insemination, it is almost impossible to fix the cervix properly. Because of this, even in this case, the chances of a successful insemination become very small for an inexperienced specialist.

Finally, the main drawback is the need for careful sterilization of the mirror before insemination of each (!) animal. Of course, not all inseminators are able to do this, and therefore cases of the transfer of infectious diseases are not uncommon (if a cow has discharge after insemination, then she is almost certainly sick with endometritis).

But still, despite all its shortcomings, this method is good for inseminating heifers. The fact is that they are very difficult to inseminate in the rectocervical way. Firstly, only the hand of a very slender specialist can crawl into their rectum. Secondly, the same applies to the genitals of young animals. So a vaginal speculum and a syringe under these conditions are the perfect duet. In addition, there is no special need for fixing the cervix, since in heifers it is not yet deformed, it is soft, and therefore the pipette of the syringe can crawl there without any special problems. What other methods of cow insemination are there?

Manocervical method

So, what is "cervix" you already know. And "manus" is a hand. So the method is very similar to the previous one, with one exception - the vaginal mirror is not used in this method. As in the previous two cases, before starting work, it is necessary to thoroughly rinse the external genitalia with a solution of furacilin or potassium permanganate, and then, taking a syringe with a dose of semen in your hand, insert it into the vagina. The operator finds the cervix, inserts a syringe there and squeezes its contents into the organ cavity.

In principle, the technique of inseminating cows with this method is completely similar to the visocervical method. But still there is a slight difference, which is a lower risk of infection, since no extra tools are used.

How to identify a cow ready for mating?

So we figured out the main methods of artificial insemination. True, for all this time the question of how exactly to determine a cow that is already ready for the insemination procedure has not been raised …

In principle, it is quite simple to do this. If such an animal is stroked in the area of the sacrum and pelvis, then it stands calmly, without making attempts to kick you. The outer labia become somewhat edematous, a small amount of clear or slightly darkish mucus may come out of them. Such a cow should be inseminated after waiting a couple of hours after the start of the hunt. After 10 hours, the procedure is recommended to be repeated. It should be remembered that the hunt lasts only about 20 hours, and thereforethe next attempt will be available only after 20-21 days. The best time to inseminate cows is in the morning.

Experienced technicians can test the readiness of a cow for insemination by delicately probing the ovaries during a rectal examination. In a “ripe” animal, a ready-made follicle is clearly noticeable, which is about to burst, releasing an egg. We remind you once again that only a very experienced and careful specialist can do such a study, since a careless technician will almost certainly damage the follicle, making further insemination pointless.

The process of preparing an animal for insemination

If the insemination is not carried out in the arena (as is often the case), then the stall should be thoroughly cleaned before the procedure. It should be remembered that in no case should you use “hard” disinfectants for cleaning, limiting yourself to ordinary potassium permanganate or something similar. The anus of the cow is manually cleared of manure. After that, the operator must find the cervix and its body, and then massage these organs. In those rare cases, if insemination of a cow by a bull is still used, the animal must also be cleaned before mating!

After that, the entire back of the cow, including the ischial tuberosities and the root of the tail, is gently washed with warm soapy water, while completely removing dried crusts of manure, secretions, etc. Having finished with this, rinse the treated area with a solution of furacilin. Only after the end of all these procedures, you can start insemination. So many cycles of "washing" need to be carried out in order to guarantee not to bring intoreproductive system of the cow no infection. This is how cows are inseminated.

Note that artificial insemination of animals in recent years has been developing at an extremely high pace. This is facilitated by the fact that animal husbandry is a profitable sector of the national economy, and they try to use the sperm from valuable bulls with maximum efficiency.

Artificial insemination allows not only to bring the probability of a calf to 100%, but also makes it possible to get two calves per year from a cow (one is born, the second - in the womb). In this way, it is possible to defeat barrenness and increase the economic profitability of the farm.