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Semen in Ampules

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cornykid

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I am going to use some semen stored in ampules this year, and need some help with the thawing and inseminating procedure. Thanks for any information.
 
I'd get with one of the semen outfits like Select or Genex that call your neck of the woods home and get an expert to show ya the ropes. They taught me so a normal person should do fine. :wink: Good luck! :D And Welcome to ranchers :D
 
First off you will need some pipettes (sp?), you can get them from a vet. They make pippettes for infusing cows that fit directly onto a syringe. Get some of those if you can. (if not, you will need a small piece of rubber hose to connect the pippette to the syringe.)

Hopefully your thaw thermos has a basket in it, it makes pulling the ampoule out of the water easier.

Is the ampoule pre-scored? Most with the gold or silver line around the neck are, but if not you will also need a small file or hacksaw blade to score the neck of the ampoule.

thaw the semen, break top off, insert pippette and draw up the semen by pulling back on the syringe plunger.

breed animal as you would normally, pushing the syringe plunger, once you clear the cervix.

you may want to practice once or twice with a pippette. due to the flexibility of them, they do feel a bit different, than a normal AI rod

hope this helps
 
You will need a ice bath it takes a a few minutes. Ice Water. Breaking the neck will take a strike with a sharp object them break off with your hands
You need an syrgine to suck it up to the pepett. Good Idea to get an old AI guy to do it. Much more complicated than today.
Your figues will bleed.
 
I bred my cows to a bull that was collected in '75 and was in ampules.All of them settled on the 1st service, although I did have one that slipped her calf between 45 and 65 days. But she cleaned up and settled on the first service after that and is carrying a heifer calf... I have to believe that the older the semen the more potency it has.....One problem I did encounter was that the insemination pipettes that I used were just a little bigger than the top of the ampule.
 
You should try to get ahold of ABS they will put you in the right direction. They are based out of Wisconsin, so it shouldnt be too big of a deal.
 
jkvikefan said:
I bred my cows to a bull that was collected in '75 and was in ampules.All of them settled on the 1st service, although I did have one that slipped her calf between 45 and 65 days. But she cleaned up and settled on the first service after that and is carrying a heifer calf... I have to believe that the older the semen the more potency it has.....One problem I did encounter was that the insemination pipettes that I used were just a little bigger than the top of the ampule.
Click to expand...

We planned to use some vintage 1970s semen - about 500 doses off 6 different bulls drawn and imported at great expense back in the day. Cracked some vials and tested between 12-18% viable - I guess somebody messed up on the storage at some point :mad:
 
cornykid said:
Thanks for all the information/help. NR the bulls are older Galloway: Lotties Voyager of HRG and Clarences Dream.
Click to expand...

Good Luck those two bulls were promoted at that time and were NOT that great. They were photoed in ads and that about it. Expect a whopping 400 pound weaning weight.
 
Sure can both bullls were raised by Tom Holt of Eureka Ks. Tom had some very good cattle but these bulls were not any of them. Lottie sold to Jerry Wiley in Missouri. Wiley got Lotties first calves out of him and the calves and Lottie went to the sale barn faster than a speeding bullet. Dream (good name) dad bought one over the phone delivered to our Ranch in Wyoming at $2500 then in 1970 that was a big price for us. He sired three calves and we were glad the smallest cattle we ever had. Dream (nightmare more like it). Certified meat sire then was just a deal Glen Butts of Joplin came up with to promote his program for people to buy into. The more real carcass data one would send into him the more money he made. After a while about any bull was certified meat sire.
Breeders of all breeds caught on to that after few checks were wrote.

Who ever kept this semen do not know why. IF you want Galloway get Pure Country cattle he posted some very good data and photos of his MODERN Galloway bulls.
Hate to be so negitive. But I really think you would be very diappointed in this semen. If you use it and actually get calves please let me know if I am wrong. If you are in to old Galloway Semen look into Todds Carl II
Yucca Prince, Chief 9 , Osage Chief 23, Dandy William of CBI
 
Hay Feeder said:
Sure can both bullls were raised by Tom Holt of Eureka Ks. Tom had some very good cattle but these bulls were not any of them. Lottie sold to Jerry Wiley in Missouri. Wiley got Lotties first calves out of him and the calves and Lottie went to the sale barn faster than a speeding bullet. Dream (good name) dad bought one over the phone delivered to our Ranch in Wyoming at $2500 then in 1970 that was a big price for us. He sired three calves and we were glad the smallest cattle we ever had. Dream (nightmare more like it). Certified meat sire then was just a deal Glen Butts of Joplin came up with to promote his program for people to buy into. The more real carcass data one would send into him the more money he made. After a while about any bull was certified meat sire.
Breeders of all breeds caught on to that after few checks were wrote.

Who ever kept this semen do not know why. IF you want Galloway get Pure Country cattle he posted some very good data and photos of his MODERN Galloway bulls.
Hate to be so negitive. But I really think you would be very diappointed in this semen. If you use it and actually get calves please let me know if I am wrong. If you are in to old Galloway Semen look into Todds Carl II
Yucca Prince, Chief 9 , Osage Chief 23, Dandy William of CBI
Click to expand...

I don't have a dog in this race but if you believe the following website it would indicate there is plenty growth and carcass quality in the Clarence's Dream bloodline. http://cattleanaranch.com/page/14rrx/Galloway_Cattle.html
 
Cornykid, for the advice on useing the amps, call Dr. Don Coover at SEK Genetics Horizons, #800-443-6389, he is a very nice guy and can walk you through it better than I or any one on here can type it up. He does a lot of embyo work with amps and has come up with a way better way than the pillpets, and does not use ice water any more either. But the guys that have been around it their whole life, like me, have trouble trying something new but his way is better. Just call him you'll be glad you did.
 
oldblood said:
Cornykid, for the advice on useing the amps, call Dr. Don Coover at SEK Genetics Horizons, #800-443-6389, he is a very nice guy and can walk you through it better than I or any one on here can type it up. He does a lot of embyo work with amps and has come up with a way better way than the pillpets, and does not use ice water any more either. But the guys that have been around it their whole life, like me, have trouble trying something new but his way is better. Just call him you'll be glad you did.
Click to expand...

good advice.

the recommended thawing temp. can vary, depending on packaging procedures (Cryoprotective used, glycol vs glycerol) etc. Always best to try to find out the freezing method used on some of those older vials.
 

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