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.
No comments:
Post a Comment