Who AI's their goats?

CarolynRenee · #1 10/02/12, 03:45 PM

I'm having the hardest time finding Saanen and Boer goats for stud around here and was wondering if it was worth looking into learning how to A.I. our goats. Right now we have our Nigerian Dwarf buck service our Saanen doe, but I eventually want to get another purebred Saanen out of her but can't for the life of me find anyone with a Saanen buck for stud.

Anyways, I was just wondering how difficult / easy it is to do A.I. on a goat. I've watched a youtube video on it, but who knows if it's really as easy as that.

Also, how are the semen straws sent and how do you keep them cold? I noticed on the "AI Package" some of the goat sites sell there is no mention of the freezer "thing" used to keep / store the straws. How does that work?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts

Hollowdweller · #2 10/02/12, 04:05 PM

I wouldn't consider it realistic to count on AI ing a goat if you don't have any experience and if you only have a couple goats it probably wouldnt' be worth investing in a nitrogen tank and having it refilled on a regular basis.

If you can find somebody near you that AI's and use their stuff or have them do it for you you could give it a shot, but it's not super easy and saanens are one of the hardest breeds to settle AI, or so I've been told.

CaliannG · #3 10/02/12, 08:11 PM

They send you straws in what is known as a "vapor shipper" tank. It is a very, very, very expensive tank, more expensive than a regular AI tank of the same size. Which is why they would REALLY appreciate it if you return the thing IMMEDIATELY after you get your straws out of it. When you buy straws, the shipping for the tank BOTH ways is included in the price.

I will let you know how "easy" it is tomorrow, as tomorrow afternoon is when my friend and I are AI'ing our girls. We have the expert help from a wonderful gentleman from TAMU though, so it is NOT the same as taking a class or watching videos and attempting to figure it out ourselves.

So far, though, I can tell you how easy it was to do the preliminaries.

CIDRs (to get the does to cycle at the time we want to do A.I.) insertion. One of my does did a half squat and never brought her head up from the feed. The other doe jumped, kicked, did acrobatics, knocked the thing out of my hand, and was a royal pain about the whole process.

Getting out the CIDRs and doing the PG600 and Lutelyse injection: One doe didn't lift her head up from the feed for removal. The injections caused her to squirm a bit, although I can't blame her. I don't like getting shots either.

The other doe kicked, bucked, squatted, attempted to roll, etc., and this is WHILE I had her feet tied to the stand. She didn't take the shots any better, either.

Tomorrow, we A.I., and I am bringing 50' of rope. That second doe is going to look like a rope mummy by the time I am done with her.

At any rate, win or lose, it will turn out to cost me about $80 per doe to A.I. In a month, I will let you know how successful we were at it.

Oh, and needless to say, after I am done turning that doe into a rope mummy, it will be our wonderful, resident expert that actually DOES the A.I. on her. I'll do the one that doesn't lift her head up from the feed.

CaliannG · #4 10/02/12, 08:12 PM

Oh, and in the costs, I am not counting the cost of equipment, as that is pretty much a long-term, constantly re-usable, investment.

Cannon_Farms · #5 10/02/12, 08:25 PM

you might try contacting cam faircloth he's all over the us collecting and doing AI and if you have enough he may can make a stop.
with as few as you have buy a young buck use him, then sell him asap would probably be best

CaliannG · #6 10/02/12, 08:39 PM

Oh, forgot to mention the "freezer thing". It's not actually a freezer, and uses no electricity. It is a double-walled, insulated tank that you store liquid nitrogen in. Around here, it costs about $50 to fill up a 4 liter Cryo tank. Depending upon the age and rating of the tank, that "charge" can last 1 month or 4 months. Where it is stored will also have an effect on how long it stays "charged".

For only doing a couple of does, I would see about getting a used tank that you can be sure will at least stay charged a couple of months, and only ordering enough straws for that breeding season, then let the tank go dry on its own. (You can also use that to figure out how long your tank will hold a charge.)

Hollowdweller · #7 10/03/12, 09:09 AM

I don't use hormones or anything to induce them.

I find that I have around a 50% success rate although some years I have had a zero success rate and some years I have only done one doe and had a 100% rate.

Some does are very easy to AI, both in "taking" and also easy to get in the cervix.

Some does are nearly impossible to get in more than a ring or two.

Your doe that has the short reliable heat is your best candidate because the longer a doe stays in the harder it is to determine the best time.

Then there's the semen. It seems that some bucks semen is better even independant of the actual quality.

I started having more successes when I was shopping for semen and when I was considering a buck I'd go to Genetics Home and look up the buck and then click "progeny" If it looked like there was a large number of offspring with difft herd names, or born way after the buck should be dead (ie born out of AI) then I'd buy that semen. Some bucks are widely collected but then you do that and you see no or very little offspring that could be AI offspring. I'd avoid that sort of buck.

JBarGFarmKeeper · #8 10/03/12, 05:24 PM

There is going to be a buck show in October in Neosho, MO. I know there are Saanen breeders around this area that show so therefore MIGHT do a live breed at the buck show if you could synchronize your girl/s.

Boers, well I know some folks up around Macomb that have Purebred Boer bucks that might breed for a fee (they usually have a BEAUTIFUL spotted one, a black one and a traditional). Again, you would probably have to sync the doe/s and transport but it would probably be worth it.

Go to my website to email me because my PM box is FULL (Pony! tells me) and I am too busy (lazy) to deal with it at this moment.

ETA: Cam Faircloth will be there collecting bucks. They are doing an AI clinic on Friday evening and *might* be receptive to having a doe in heat to *practice* on...wink, wink, wink (Cam probably has semen).

JBarGFarmKeeper · #9 10/03/12, 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaliannG

Oh, forgot to mention the "freezer thing". It's not actually a freezer, and uses no electricity. It is a double-walled, insulated tank that you store liquid nitrogen in. Around here, it costs about $50 to fill up a 4 liter Cryo tank. Depending upon the age and rating of the tank, that "charge" can last 1 month or 4 months. Where it is stored will also have an effect on how long it stays "charged".

For only doing a couple of does, I would see about getting a used tank that you can be sure will at least stay charged a couple of months, and only ordering enough straws for that breeding season, then let the tank go dry on its own. (You can also use that to figure out how long your tank will hold a charge.)

When my tank went dry the place that fills told me they charge DOUBLE the fill price to fill a dry tank. I always have semen too, it wasn't a plan to let it go dry...I don't want to talk about it. Ok, I asked someone else (who shall remain nameless) to take it...(he's male and has the same last name as me and he's older than me)...and he *forgot*.

I'm depressed all over again...gotta go now....

CaliannG · #10 10/03/12, 11:28 PM

Gena, you, I, and some of the other gals on here, need to form a club. We'll call it "WHY did/didn't he DO that?!?" Then we'll vent abut all the things that did, or did not, get done.

Sometimes I tell myself, "Caliann, in your next life, remain a virgin."

CarolynRenee · #11 10/04/12, 04:29 PM

Thanks for the replies all. Hope your does take Caliann!

I'm thinking that it's just easier to do like mentioned, go and buy a buck (and hope he doesn't have anything "funky" going on with him) use him & sell him. Or TRY to sell him. I guess that's the hard part sometimes, and I don't need to be taking care of any more bucks!!

**mygoat** · #12 10/04/12, 05:55 PM

Here is my post talking about AI'ing this year. I costed out my personal expenses in it. AI tanks are EXPENSIVE. I got mine for a STEAL by posting a wanted ad on craigslist. I got it for 150.00, which is unheard of. Usually they're a few hundred, sometimes closer to a thousand. New are usually 800+.

My AI adventures thus far!