As part of the A.I training held by GENEX, we had to learn proper semen handling and care. For artificial insemination it relies on the fact that the semen is being preserved in liquid nitrogen storage tanks and follows a precise series of steps to ensure that the semen is not killed upon thawing. For starters, we were told that the tank should not sit directly on the concrete as the cold temperature from the liquid nitrogen can actually get pulled by the concrete and we do not want this to happen. Our tank sits on a pallet of wood to prevent this cold escape.
When we are ready to take a semen straw, we need to carefully and slowly remove it from the tank by lifting a single canister up to the visible frost line so that we can reach a straw using tweezers. At this point need to determine what type of inventory you have because semen straws can be thawed in two ways: pocket thaw or warm water thaw. Most straws require warm water thaw method, while GENEX stud code 1 semen straws can be pocket thawed or warm water thawed. My farm does not have any straws capable of being pocket thawed so I will discuss the warm water method. For this, there is a temperature controlled device that we fill with water to the fill line and maintains temperature between 96 and 98 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the semen straw is deposited, we have roughly 45 seconds to prepare the breeding gun, grab several paper towels, and cover arm with a breeding sleeve of choice. Loading a straw is important because one end of the straw will be slightly crimped and this needs to be cut. If we don't cut the straw there is no chance that the semen will ever be deposited into the uterine body of the cow so it is important to not forget this simple step. Sterilization is key, so practicing aseptic techniques is very important to ensure that we are not introducing undesired bacteria into the reproductive parts of the cow.
Today we shipped 5,043 gallons of milk.
Today we had _ new calves.
Last week I spent a considerable amount of time learning everything I possibly could about the cow reproductive system and the complete estrous cycle. Today I am putting all of that too the test as I begin learning to A.I cows for the very first time! A.I stands for artificial insemination and this is a breeding technique where the person palpates a cows cervix and guides a breeding gun holding cow semen into the uterine body for deposition. To do this, we cover our non-dominant hand in a breeding sleeve which goes all the way up to your shoulder (you can see the blue sleeve on my arm in the photograph below) and gently insert it into the cows rectum. The anatomy of a cow has the reproductive tract separated from the gastrointestinal system (specifically the rectum and anus) by a thin membrane which makes palpating for the cervix ideal. The cervix feels somewhat like a hose as it is a cluster of dense tissues and when a cow is in an active heat the tissues of the cervix can feel engorged and more prominent. Once the cervix is found, the breeding gun can be inserted at an angle with your dominant hand into the vagina and is gently guided to the cervix. Then, using the hand that has a firm grip on the cervix gently moves the cervix around the breeding gun as this avoids accidental poking and prodding of sensitive tissues. I did not breed any cows today, instead I used this A.I course offered through Genex as training and will begin using real semen in my A.I journey upon completion this weekend. According to the Genex employees, it takes anywhere between 100 and 200 cows to become proficient at breeding!
Today we shipped 5,011 gallons of milk.
Today we had no newborn calves.
I have mentioned that I attend the University of Maine for Animal Science and settled on a microbiology minor in my junior year. Well, I did not realize just how much I was going to appreciate this decision and today we received such an exciting new tool at the farm I cannot wait to discuss... probiotics for cows! Gut health is a major factor to the development and well-being of our cows, especially at a young age our calves are at a high risk to diseases such as pneumonia and scours. The idea is that feeding 1/8 of a teaspoon of the probiotic to our calves at each feeding will encourage the establishment of commensal bacteria. I am super excited as I recognize many of these species as bacterial species that we can purchase through probiotic yogurts at the grocery store. Many of the bacterial species associated with gut health include various Lactobacillus species. For now, we are going to feed this probiotic to all of our newborn Jersey calves to hopefully give them an even stronger first start at life. I wonder if probiotics will become part of everyday practice in the future for dairy...
Today we shipped 5,061 gallons of milk.
Today we had 1 new calves.
Today we went through and checked on the cows at the farm to assess overall health. Walking through the barn to evaluate the cows is important to do frequently as it helps us to better manage disease and reduce instance of disease outbreaks. Most of my time is spent in the calf barn, but doing herd checks to evaluate all members of the herd is highly beneficial. Not to mention during herd evaluation we can also check for cows that may be in active heat!
As we were going through the barns I couldn't help but record this cow below eating her breakfast. If you notice, she has one fully grown horn while the opposite side of her head is flat. The part of the skull between where horns typically grow is called the pole. You can check out the video here. There could be several reasons as to why she still has a horn, but for now I am going to call her the lucky unicorn on the farm.
Today we shipped 4,953 gallons of milk.
Today we had _ new calves.
I am very excited to be sharing a research project that I have been working on for the final semester while at the University of Maine, and this project is based on the health and husbandry of the calves at this very farm! I love these cows a tremendous amount and want nothing more than to provide them with the best possible care, and one way I am trying to achieve this is by researching common husbandry practices for managing sick dairy calves and proposing suggestions to bring to the farm based on this research.
In this project, I collected data on the quality of colostrum, serial dilutions to asses barn cleanliness, temperature recordings of the calves for the first two weeks of life, and sire evaluations. With this information, I included 60 calves in my research; 50 Holsteins and 10 Jerseys; and finalized my research in the poster below. It is a large poster so the formatting isn't perfect but I hope you are able to read some of it and gain some valuable information!
In yesterdays post I mentioned the uterine body and decided that I wanted to explore the anatomy of the reproductive tract further and conti...
