D I Y A I

[wind up]

my question is simple , why should you thaw a straw carefully and accurately before putting it in the cow
surely putting it frozen in the gun and allowing the cow to bring it up to temperature would be easier and less liable to error ?

 

[multi power]

I have yet to thaw a straw"carefully and accurately"

 

[kp_n_plghng]

my question is simple , why should you thaw a straw carefully and accurately before putting it in the cow
surely putting it frozen in the gun and allowing the cow to bring it up to temperature would be easier and less liable to error ?

It will thaw slower in the cow though wont it. Think about if you want to warm yourself up if you walk into a room you'll warm up but if you jump in a warm bath you'll warm up quicker. I trust you agree that semen is of better quality when thawed quickly.

 

[Rossymons]

Save even more time and shove it in frozen. What can possibly go wrong?

 

[bovine]

Water and dirt kill sperm. We know sperm thawed correctly have better motility (=activity). All these small attention to detail points probably add a percentage or two to your pregnancy rate.

Why do some guys struggle to get over 20% and others manage over 50%?

Small things matter

 

[Cowmangav]

I did for a time thaw them up my sleeve , rolling them on my forearm( the bit with no hairs!). Can't give accurate figures but our calving index was better back then , than it is now( with careful thawing). Other factors may be in play of course.

 

[dinderleat]

I think alta did a talk a while ago showing the difference in thawing made to the sperm. The results were amazing the difference from thawing for 20 secs to 60secs increased conception rates by 10-20%

 

[Dragon]

I remember being taught, that the semen temperature needs to continually rise, which is at odds with what we were taught by thawing out at for 60 second and shoving down back were it must drop slightly, then into cow at body temperature

 

[organicguy]

I remember being taught, that the semen temperature needs to continually rise, which is at odds with what we were taught by thawing out at for 60 second and shoving down back were it must drop slightly, then into cow at body temperature

I always thought that but was told if thawed rapidly to 37 the sperm is then more resilient to temp change so more survives to do their work.

 

[meekers]

I have always thawed the small straws for 20 seconds and sexed and large straws for 40 seconds. Is this correct? Im sure that is what I got told on my semex course a few years ago.

 

[kp_n_plghng]

I just go 60 seconds with everything now to be safe.......

 

[multi power]

I have always thawed the small straws for 20 seconds and sexed and large straws for 40 seconds. Is this correct? Im sure that is what I got told on my semex course a few years ago.

15 seconds I seem to remember but can't remember if that was big or small straw

 

[Rossymons]

Cogent told me 30 secs at 35'C for conventional and 45 secs at 37'C for sexed. So make of that what you will

 

[Cowwilf]

I have always thawed the small straws for 20 seconds and sexed and large straws for 40 seconds. Is this correct? Im sure that is what I got told on my semex course a few years ago.

That's what embryonics told me to do. I have an eletric thawer so the temperature part is automatic anyway. The twenty seconds have a sip of coffee and make a note of the cow number and bull used.

 

[J B]

When I did my course .... late 80's (?) ..... it was
Water at 37C
¼ cc straws - 7 sceonds
½ cc straws - 30 seconds

 

[Rossymons]

So many different ways of doing the same job. I think a thread like this just goes to show that us Humans know jack about nothing.

 

[farmer901]

I take straw out,put under me arm for 30 to 40 seconds,warm the gun with my hands then get straw ready and keep gun under arm til I'm ready to ai.Apart from sexed semen I gave up the whole water thing years ago.

 

[Clay52]

I take straw out,put under me arm for 30 to 40 seconds,warm the gun with my hands then get straw ready and keep gun under arm til I'm ready to ai.Apart from sexed semen I gave up the whole water thing years ago.

Why do it for sexed semen then.

 

[farmer901]

because its crap and probably needs some sort of help

 

[kp_n_plghng]

I take straw out,put under me arm for 30 to 40 seconds,warm the gun with my hands then get straw ready and keep gun under arm til I'm ready to ai.Apart from sexed semen I gave up the whole water thing years ago.

Must admit im scratching my head on this one. Why give up the thawing in water, I thought virtually everyone thawed in warm water as this was proven to be the kindest technique on the semen. I don't get how under your arm is easier. I suppose it could work just as well, but if its not better why do it?