Artificial insemination is one of the fastest ways to achieve overall herd improvement through the introduction of the top genetics in the industry. The "big name" Texas Longhorn bulls can sell for $ 20,000.00 and up. Way up! It doesn't make economic sense for the relatively small breeder to own one of these bulls for a few cows, yet the use of their semen through artificial insemination and the value gained from progeny from these bulls makes excellent sense. Artificial insemination also makes available bulls that are dead or no longer capable of breeding naturally. Often these older, proven bloodlines make powerful additions back into the gene pool.

Another big advantage of artificial insemination is the ability to individually match each cow with a bull. Every cow will not "click" with every bull. Even a valuable herd sire may not match the traits that need improvement for every cow in the herd. One cow has good confirmation and needs help in the horn department. Another cow may need some size added to her. You might own a straight Butler cow and want her calf to be straight Butler but your bull isn't so he won't work. Want to introduce more black in the herd? Or brindle coloring. Breeding for something specific is hard to do with one herd sire.

There is also the question of breeding the heifers of your herd sire. If heifers are retained, this creates a need to exchange your herd sire or acquire a second bull. Artificial insemination is a valuable tool for first calf heifers. Through AI, heifers can be bred to mature bulls, which could not be used on them through natural service because of risk of injury due to the size of a mature bull.

Cows should be bred back between 45-90 days after calving. Following this schedule, the cow will calve every 12 months. Of course if they breed earlier than later, the time is shortened. AI does have quite a few variables to it and that is why it is best to start early.

With AI the overall conditioning of the cow, the cow's reproductive health, the skill of the inseminator and the quality of the semen regulates conception rate. The semen must be deposited in the body of the uterus and extreme care must be taken with the semen to keep it viable. The more semen is handled and moved from tank to tank the greater the risk of decreased viability. Semen tanks have to be checked on a regular basis and kept properly filled with liquid nitrogen. Be careful who you buy semen from if you don't know how it has been handled.

As far as the cow is concerned, good nutritional health is a necessity as well as a healthy reproductive track. If the cow had any difficulty with calving or has experienced weight loss, she may not conceive as readily. Environmental factors play an important role also. Extreme heat is a real detriment to success in an AI program so in some areas the summer is not the best time to AI cows. Cows will enter a period of anestrus (period of reproductive cycle when animal is not fertile) after calving due to the suckling of her calf. Most cows begin to have fertile heats between 40 and 90 days after calving, depending on many of the factors mentioned here. A cow that is considered for artificial insemination should be in good flesh (body condition of 5 or 6 on a scale of 10), free of internal parasites and current on vaccinations. If they have a calf at side, it should be current on vaccinations also.

Cows can be placed with a Gomer (spotter) bull (a bull that has been surgically altered so he is not able to naturally breed the cows) and observed at least twice daily for signs of heat. The cow can be allowed to cycle naturally, which is approximately every 21 days or a drug regimen can be used to induce heat in order to breed her sooner.

There are many drug regimens used to induce estrus in cattle. I am currently using a synchronization protocol using the EAZI-BREED™ CIDR® (pronounced SEE-dur) Cattle Insert (progesterone). This protocol synchronizes heat in a tight enough window to allow planning of the time the cows will be in estrus. It is helpful to have the cows cycling when there is plenty of help to get them in to be bred. Fertility of the induced estrus in cows appears to be approximately equal to that of a spontaneous estrus.

Depending on the wishes of the owner, the cow can be left with the Gomer (spotter) bull through her next heat to be sure she doesn't cycle again. If she does, she is bred again. Otherwise she is placed with a bull for natural service. A very low percentage of cows may prove to be open even after skipping a heat cycle. This may be due to an early embryonic death. I recommend that pregnancy be confirmed in all artificial insemination breedings within the first two to three months either through palpation or ultrasound.

Typical conception rate on the first breeding is 60-70 percent, increasing to 85-90 percent on the second breeding. Based on this schedule, a cow generally needs to stay here 45-80 days. If a cow doesn't settle on the second artificial insemination breeding, I recommend putting her with a bull for natural service so that she stays close to her annual calving cycle.

All cows that are brought for Artificial Insemination must be current on all vaccinations and must have a negative test for Brucellosis, Tuberculosis and Johnes within 90 days prior to delivery at our ranch. Heifers must be at least 600 pounds to be brought for artificial insemination. The semen from the bull of your choice would be shipped here and stored in my semen tank. You should order two straws per cow. I also have semen available from some bulls. Please contact me for a list of available semen and prices.