AI question: How much time do you have to pass through the cervix?

[GLZ]

I have a couple of cows that I swear have question marks for a cervix.  It take a lot of patience, but I can usually move the cervix over the gun after some time.  This got me to thinking however, how long is too long when breeding.  After I have the gun in the vagina, how much time do I have to pass through the cervix.  Is there a correct answer?

 

[red]

this sounds like a cowboy question for sure.

I know when our nephew started AI'ing it seemed to take him forever too. Espeically on heifers. He had a pretty good conception rate even so. Now even if they have the corkscrew cervix he is pretty fast in getting it to the right spot.

Red

 

[ELBEE]

I don't believe there is any time limit. Each tech. will have their own comfortable time zone. Experience and surety are probably huge factors. I personally don't spend more than a couple minutes-max. Some cows I'm in-and-out of in 10 seconds. Over the past 30 years I have about a 70% conception rate, I'm happy with that! I feel there are much higher factors in conception than passing "through" the cervex, such as the cows "attitude" during the breeding process. Or my biggest theory, depositing semen in the infertile horn.

                                        JMHO  <cowboy>   

 

[angusboy1]

i cant remeber but i can ask my dad and see

 

[inthebarnagain]

When I went to A.I school they told us that once you had the rod inside the cow you had hours literally, just as long as you didn't pull it back out.  Of course my arm would fall off after 10 minutes! :-\

 

[angusboy1]

yea thats wat i thought

 

[Bawndoh]

You have 20 minutes until the semen dies. 
Hijacking question...has anyone ever had to deposit the semen in the vagina simply because you could NOT get it throught the cervix?  If so, have any of your cows still conceived?

 

[angusboy1]

ok that sounds about right

 

[CAB]

 There is NO time limit on getting through the cervix. The only thing that you should be thinking about is getting the semen deposited in the correct place, so don't get inside of your own head, patience. Once you are inside the cow, the temp is a controlled environment. That is what part of the thaw test is about. The semen does not die after 20 minutes. If it did, none of us would get very many AI calves. Brent

 

[kanshow]

Exactly what CAB says!   

 

[angusboy1]

ok im glad cab posted because the person who taught me how to ai todl u ha 20 mins so i was always rushin that maybe why i ai 40 cows and got 3 calfs

 

[angusboy1]

for ppl who want to get specific about it the post i posted above was just a figure of speech

 

[kanshow]

I was always taught that the critical time was between the tank & the cow.  You don't want to be waving the syringe around in the open air for long periods of time.    I know there was even a period of time where they thought conception rates would improve with 'in cow' thawing.  I think our conception rate is better using standard thawing methods but perhaps it is because we are much more experienced now???   

 

[GRsimm]

I was taught that the semen lives around 30hrs. Thats why it is best to get them bred 12 hours after standing heat because a cow ovulates on average 30 hrs  after estrus and not during like some animals. Also you can get cows bred not passing through the cervix because a herd bull does not ever get into the cervix the only thing is that the bull deposites a lot more semen then what is in a 1/2 cc straw..

 

[CAB]

  The most critical time for a tech as far as the semen is concerned is the time from the tank to the uterus. Different times of the year make it more susceptible to damage such as very cold or hot weather. I like to have the tank as close as possible to the chute. I have a method that I use always, regardless of the time of year. I put the straw in the bath water @ 93 to 98 degrees F, I prefer 93 degrees B/C then I can keep the semen gradusually warming. After I put it in the water I have my box cked over b4 but I go grab the gun and vigorously rub a paper towel back and forth across the gun and also pull the plunger and do the same thing with it. This serves to get the AI gun warmed up so as not to shock sperm cells. In the summer I am careful not to lay the gun in the sun b/c it will get too hot, but try to rub your AI gun causing friction and then feel it. You will understand what I am talking about and will figure out how much time and pressure to apply while doing this. once we pull the straw out of the water we wipe it once down quickly and give it 1 shake down to get as much semen down below the cut off pt. clip it & load the gun. If someone is helping, I then have them either put it under their shirt and coat or protect it with a towel, but the quicker I can get the end of that gun in the cow, the better I like it. My instructor was a man from Atchison, Ks. by the name of Warren Gates. He used to  work for ABS and was a great teacher

 

[angusboy1]

idk theres all kinda things and stuff about aiing

 

[Bawndoh]

You have 20 minutes until the semen dies. 
Hijacking question...has anyone ever had to deposit the semen in the vagina simply because you could NOT get it throught the cervix?  If so, have any of your cows still conceived?

Sorry....I messed up.  The semen will die within 20 minutes if you, for instance took the straw out of the tank and just threw it on the ground.  It does, however, survive IN the cow for SEVERAL hours.  Once bred, the semen goes through a process called....i think....capacitation.  I could be wrong on the word.  Anyhow, this process takes 4-6 hours.  This is why you should breed the cow about 4 hours AFTER her last stand.  If she has a perfect heat, she will be AI'ed exactly when the egg is released.  This gives the semen time to travel through the uterus and find the egg before it, or the egg dies away.