AI'ers please give me some confidence

[Davidsonranch]

Just finished up doing a few cows last weekend on the 5.5 day protocol.  I think I like it a lot.  Seemed to get some really strong heat signs by using it.  Anyway, this is only my third year at AI'ing and only do a handful of cows each year (10 or less).  Each year the first 5 cows I exit the cow thinking "Man, did I get it in the right place?"  I've never felt so unsure about something in my life each year in June!  Some cows appear to be in heavy heat by actions but when you get inside them it does not feel right.  Of course there are the few where cervix and uterine horns are so clear and easy to find it makes it easy.  But so far this year, almost every cow I touched left me thinking I did not do it right.  I guess in 28 days when I blood test we will see.  Last year I felt the same way and got 8 out of 10 to stick.  Is it just me???

 

[cowman 52]

There will be a time when you do it without thinking. I've been at it for close to 50 years and you know where you are and what you have encountered and it's not something you haven't ran into before, maybe even carry on a conversation in the meantime.

 

[cbcr]

I have been breeding cows for over 40 years and it does get easier with more experience.  Years ago, I used to have a couple of dairymen that bred most of their cows but if they had 2 - 4 cows in heat they would call me.  They were using some expensive semen and wanted to split it.  I think that in breeding around 50 - 50 head for these dairymen, they settle on first service except 1 cow and we had to re-breed her 6 more times.

Since you have a small group of cows, then it would be easy to make some notes about how the cervix feels, its size, how far in you had to go and if they had a discharge or not.  Then you can review those notes.

 

[BTDT]

When I started AI'ing, I would "rate" how I thought I did.  10 being absolutely positive she will stick, and 1 being no way in hell.
I would then compare the real results.  There was no correlation.  I couldn't believe it! 

But as the others have said, it becomes second nature in time.  Just do not get in a hurry, relax and soon you will be talking on the phone, avoiding the tail with your head, reviewing bulls in your head, and AI'ing all at the same time!