Artificial Insemination

Artificial insemination (AI) is the deliberate introduction of semen into a female for the purpose of fertilization, by means other than ejaculation directly into the vagina or oviduct. Artificial insemination is a fertility treatment for humans, and is a common practice in the breeding of dairy cattle and pigs. Artificial insemination may employ assisted reproductive technology, donated sperm, and/or animal husbandry techniques. In this process the semen is inseminated into the female by placing a portion of it either in a collected or diluted form in the cavity of uterus by mechanical methods at the proper time.

Semen Collection
Before the sperms are injected they must be collected. This is done by using an artificial vagina or electric probes which are placed on the accessory glands. The mild voltage causes ejaculation. After the sperms are collected they are evaluated for sperm count and other abnormalities.

The semen is then diluted using: Egg yolk-for nourishment and protection against cold shock Sodium citrate or glycerol-to protect damage due to formation of ice crystals during freezing. Streptomycin-inhibits bacterial growth. The sperms are then stored in liquid nitrogen at -1960C.

Advantages of Artificial Insemination

make use of semen from deceased sires or sires that live a much longer distance away from the farm More efficient use of sperms, thus there are many offspring from one male animal within a year. Artificial insemination facilitates an upgrading program for stock Artificial insemination Is cheaper since it is subsidized by the government , less cost compared to keeping one or more herd bulls in terms of feeding, housing and labor expenses Sperms(rather than the bull) are easier to transport from one part of the world to the next or from one location to another The spread of venereal disease is minimized Young dairy calves are protected from physical injury. job is less dangerous because there is not a potentially dangerous bull to handle after every breeding season you are to make use of superior genetics that cannot be found at a local bull sale

Disadvantages of Artificial Insemination

There is only a 60 to 70% conception rate for AI than with using a fertile herd bull. Still have to use a bull as "clean-up" to cover the females that were missed or didn't catch. If you don't want to use a clean-up male you may have to breed those that didn't catch a second or third time before they conceive. Have to have adequate knowledge of heat periods of female stock and know what to look for to see if any stock are in heat and then judge the time to AI them (for cows, when a female is observed to have heat behavior, the rule of thumb is to AI 12 hours later). Cost for keeping semen straws frozen in a container of nitrous oxide (dry ice), having storage to keep AI equipment, handling facilities for breeding, etc. May be added stress involved when females have to be restrained AI isn't a job that can be learned by trial and error, it has to be taught first by a trained professional (an AI technician) before it can be carried out in the field. You can't be afraid to get dirty because it involves sticking your whole arm up a cow's anus Semen has to be stored properly otherwise it will become no longer viable; improper handling will also render it in viable.

Artificial Insemination (AI) of cattle

AI is a routine procedure on dairy farms and the vast majority of dairy cattle are produced in this way.AI can be carried out by technicians from approved AI centers, by qualified vets or increasingly on a DIY basis by licensed farmers on their own cows. Semen is stored in plastic straws, holding 0.25cm3 of semen. Filling and labeling of straws is mechanized. For insemination, a straw is fitted into a special inseminating gun(catheter) which is inserted into the cows vagina and positioned so that the semen is deposited beyond the cervix Insemination is carried out 12-24 hours after the beginning of oestrus, which ensures that sperms arrive at the site of fertilization a few hours before ovulation. As the timing must be precise, recognition of oestrus by the herdsman is critical.

Advantages of AI over Natural Breeding

Allow the choice of using the best possible bulls of proven quality in improving the genetic make-up of the cattle population. Farmers have access to genes from bulls of a quality which they may not individually afford. Frozen semen can be transported globally. Disease control. Many potential devastating diseases are spread by sexual contact. Because of this extremely tight controls exerted over both health of donor bulls and the technical procedures, these risks are vastly reduced. Cost effectiveness. The cost of an AI straw is around 10 pounds; this is as nothing compared with the cost of a Holstein bull (possibly 10,000 pounds to buy). A bull is expensive to rear, is relatively unproductive, vulnerable to disease or accident and may even prove to be infertile. Flexibility. For a variety of reasons, a herdsman may not wish all calves to be sired by one bull with the same characteristics. It may well be to impracticable to keep sufficient bulls to cover all possible requirements. Safety. Although there are differences between breeds, any bull can be aggressive and is potentially dangerous. This was a major stimulus to the initial setting of AI services.

The principle of progeny testing in order to prove the quality of a bull

Semen can be collected from bulls over a period of years and stored. Samples of stored semen can be used to inseminate high quality cows and the performance of the progeny can be measured. In this way the quality of semen from individual bulls is assessed before it is made available on a wide scale. The semen from quality bulls is used for large scale AI. Bulls of lesser quality are culled. A bull can sire offspring over a period long exceeding its natural life. Sometimes, when a bull has donated sufficient semen, it is culled to avoid maintenance cost.

Flow chart Illustrating progeny testing program

1-2 year old bull provides semen

About 500 cows inseminated

9 months gestation

Calves have own offspring at 2 years old: Begin Lactation

1 year after Lactation

Performance result of calves

Bull possibly in us for AI

Thus by the time the performance results of a bulls offspring are known, he will be up to 7 years old. During this time, a great deal of semen can have been collected and stored.

Semen collection
Semen is usually collected from a bull as it mounts a suitably restrained live teaser animal such as another bull or a cow. Bulls can also be trained to mount a mechanical dummy. The teasing process may involve inducing the bull to participate in one or more false mounts,(allowing him to mount but not ejaculate) sometimes with different teaser animals, before finally being allowed to ejaculate. Such procedures enhance both quality and sperm count of the ejaculate. The operator holds the artificial vagina close to the teaser, parallel to the anticipated path of the penis. When mounting occurs, the operator directs the penis into the artificial vagina then ejaculation will take place. The bull is induced to ejaculate into an artificial vagina. This contains water at about 450C held between a stout external rubber casing and an inner lubricated rubber sleeve. The object is to stimulate the feel of the cows vagina. The semen Is collected in an insulated tube. After collection, the semen is checked for contaminants such as blood, pus or faeces. It is also examined microscopically for concentration and normality of spermatozoa. Semen is usually collected from a bull approximately four times a week.

Dilution and Storage of semen

Semen is diluted in an extender. This provides an appropriate concentration of spermatozoa, allowing more inseminations from each sample. A dilution of around 50 times is usual. The extender also nourishes and protects the spermatozoa during starage and distribution. Typically the extender contains: 1. Milk or egg yolk to protect against cold shock( the initial cooling below below body temperature) 2. Glycerol as a cryoprotectant( to protect damage due to the formation of ice crystals during freezing) 3. A buffer (usually citrate) to prevent pH changes due to, e.g., lactic acid produced during sperm metabolism 4. Glucose (and/or other sugars) to provide an energy source for the spermatozoa, as well as the correct overall water potential for their survival. 5. Antibiotics to kill pathogens Semen is packed into plastic straws and stored in liquid nitrogen at -1960C. Each straw contains around 20 million spermatozoa. There is slow deterioration of the effectiveness of semen with time. For use, the straws are thawed in warm water for a few seconds before insemination to reactivate the spermatozoa.

Conclusion
It can be concluded that artificial insemination is a very effective method of breeding cows for it allows the individual to save on cost and time that would have been used if it was a bull used in breeding. Artificial insemination also minimizes the transfer of diseases and reduces risk of injury.

Table of contents

Topic
Artificial insemination Artificial insemination in cows Semen colloection Conclusion

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