Today in almost all countries that one way or another depend on their own agriculture, an intensive path of development of the latter has been adopted. What does it mean? This suggests that farm managers are trying in every possible way to increase the productivity of their enterprises without increasing the number of means of production. This is especially pronounced in animal husbandry.
In modern animal husbandry, the barbarity of animals is completely unacceptable. Each cow should produce at least one calf annually. Of course, the lion's share in ensuring this task is played by feeding and the work of the veterinary service, but competent insemination of cows is extremely important.
Things not so distant days
A hundred years ago, the only way to get a calf was through natural mating with a cow of a bull. Oddly enough, artificial insemination of cows existed even then, but only its effectiveness was unfortunate low. There is evidence that even the first civilizations of pastoralists experimented with soft sponges made from plant fibers.
They were placed in the vagina of animals, and after natural mating was squeezed. So the first attempts at simultaneous insemination of several animals at once were made. But the cow after insemination rarely turned out to be pregnant. As a rule, success contributed to the ancient breeders in less than 40% of cases.
The problem was that sperm (with such a barbaric method of obtaining them) often turned out to be deformed and non-viable, and therefore successful insemination of cows was obtained far from every time.
It is not surprising that bulls were in every seedy farm. Moreover, this continued (in our country, in any case) until the 70-80s of the last century, and in some places the bull is used to inseminate the cow to this day. But doing so is strictly prohibited.
What is the reason that insemination of cows has become an exclusively “human” occupation? Everything is very simple. Leukemia and other diseases of livestock. It is possible to guarantee the suppression of their sexual transmission only if each sperm dose is received from one, verified animal.
Tools used in insemination, consumables
So, to inseminate a cow by an artificial method (one of three), you will need a lot of tools and equipment. The most basic is listed in the list below:
- Defrost thermostat.
- Dewar vessel in which frozen semen is stored for insemination of cows.
- Syringe catheter.
- Optical microscope.
- Gloves.
- The vaginal speculum.
- Illuminator.
- Tool bag for the artificial insemination of cows. Manual (job description) for the insemination technician.
In addition, a sufficiently large supply of reagents used to disinfect the environment and verify the survivability of sperm is needed.
Basic information on arranging an artificial insemination point
Each certified point of IO must include the following:
- Entrance platform with a disinfection mat.
- Spacious playpen.
- The heart of any item is a fully equipped laboratory.
- Washing.
- Warehouse space.
- Machines for insemination, but they are only in those points of AI, which are located in breeding farms. In other cases, the operator works “in the field”.
Note that in the arena must be sufficiently powerful lighting devices that provide proper convenience during work. If there are machines, they are made strictly according to the state standards stipulated for such a purpose, because the fixing devices must be reliable at the same time, but at the same time not to frighten or injure the animals fixed in them.
Necessarily need several buckets (preferably metal, they are easier to sterilize), the arena should have a washbasin, containers for the manufacture of disinfectant solutions, as well as
Esmarch's mug. A separate room with forced ventilation is also made in the premises of the insemination technician, where a dewar
vessel with frozen semen will be stored.
Location of laboratory and washing room
The laboratory itself is necessarily located in a fairly spacious and bright room, the entrance to which should be available only from the washing. There should be a microscope for assessing semen indicators, cabinets for storing tools and reagents, as well as a refrigerator.
The washing room is located directly in front of the arena. As the name implies, washbasins and equipment for washing tools, instruments and utensils used in the manufacture of reagents are placed here. Also in this room may have a separate washing machine for washing towels, technicians outerwear. There are additional tables and cabinets for storing equipment, an electric stove for boiling water and preparing solutions. All rooms must be as spacious, clean, bright and dry as possible.
The main methods of insemination
Currently, artificial insemination of cows is carried out by three main methods:
- Rectocervical.
- Visocervical.
- Manocervical.
Rectocervical insemination
The most common method by which artificial insemination of cows is carried out. What does it consist of? Its name consists of two parts: rectum is the rectum. Cervix is the cervix. Simply put, the cervix with this method of insemination is fixed rectally. How is insemination performed?
The operator, after charging the syringe, washes the external genitalia of the animal and the area of the rectum. He inserts a gloved hand for rectal examination into the rectum of the animal. After making several rotational movements and achieving relaxation of the organ, he finds the cervix, similar to an elongated ribbed cylinder and fixes it.
With the other hand, the inseminator introduces a syringe for insemination of cows into the vagina and, carefully moving it forward, inserts its tip into the cervix. The main task is to conduct it as far as possible, but do not injure the delicate mucous membrane lining the organ. After that, a dose of sperm is injected into the uterus. With the hand remaining in the rectum, the operator makes several massage movements, evenly distributing semen in the organ cavity. After work, the external genitalia are repeatedly washed with a weak solution of potassium permanganate or furacilin.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of this method of insemination? Let's start with the flaws. Firstly, the operator is required to be extremely careful: nevertheless, his second hand is in the rectum, and at any moment (if the inseminator is not careful), a piece of manure can fly directly onto the syringe. And this, as you can understand, puts an end to the necessary sterility of equipment. Everything has to be started anew. Why is this cow insemination technique still bad?
Secondly, young and inexperienced specialists can not always find the cervix, and with its fixation, everything is even worse. As a result, the syringe is injected at best by ¼ of its length, which automatically reduces the effectiveness of the insemination procedure to unacceptably low values. In addition, due to poor fixation and inability to help the pipette, it happens that the operator injures the mucous membrane of the cervix.
And now about the merits. Oddly enough, it is the rectocervical insemination of cows and heifers that is the most hygienic method. If you think about it, then there is nothing unusual in this. Judge for yourself: only a thin pipette is injected into the cow's vagina. At the same time, it is sterile and does not carry any microflora.
By the way! If a cow has secretions after insemination, it makes sense to look more closely at them: if the secret is cloudy and with impurities of yellowish inclusions, this almost certainly indicates infection.
Due to the fixation of the cervix, experienced operators completely introduce a dose of seed into the uterine cavity, due to which the likelihood of fruitful insemination increases significantly. In addition, for this work there is no need for any “sophisticated” tools: you only need a glove and a dropper with a pre-charged dose of sperm. So there is nothing surprising in the fact that it is rectocervical insemination at the moment that has become most widespread in all countries where dairy and beef cattle breeding is involved. What other methods of insemination of cows are there?
Visocervical method
As in the previous case, the name consists of two words. You already know about the meaning of the word cervix, and the root "visio" means "see, notice." That is, with this method of insemination, the operator directly sees the cervix. How is this possible? The thing is how exactly the artificial insemination of cows is performed in this case.
The main one is the vaginal mirror. This tool is similar to peculiar forceps, only their jaws diverge in two directions when pressed. In this case, the walls of the vagina are stretched to the sides, and the inseminator sees the cervix. Accordingly, after this, a syringe with a dose of sperm is introduced into it and the seed is squeezed out into the internal cavity of the organ.
What are the strengths and weaknesses of this technique? Let's start with the virtues. Firstly, with the visocervical method of insemination, the operator sees the cervix and can verify the correctness of the introduction of the pipette visually. This is especially valuable for young professionals who do not yet have the proper experience.
In addition, which is much more valuable, you can evaluate the condition of the genital organs of the animal. So it’s much easier to notice the signs of infection before it actually begins to manifest. By the way, if insemination of cows is carried out after calving (after two to three months), then first of all the animal is examined for the presence of endometritis (including hidden).
Unfortunately, there are also enough negative points. In contrast to the previous method, where only a “small-sized” pipette is inserted into the vagina, in this situation the operator is forced to insert a hand into the genitals. Before this, it is necessary to wash the external genital organs very carefully, and still no one will give any guarantee of maintaining sterility. In addition, when inseminating in this way young animals have a considerable chance to damage the mucous membranes of the vagina (if the operator has a large hand).
Other disadvantages
Finally, with this method of insemination, it is almost impossible to properly fix the cervix. Because of this, an inexperienced specialist in this case, the chances of successful insemination become very small.
Finally, the main drawback is the need for thorough sterilization of the mirror before insemination of each (!) Animal. Of course, far from all inseminators are able to do this, and therefore there are frequent cases of the transfer of infectious diseases (if a cow has a discharge after insemination, then it is almost certainly sick with endometritis).
But still, despite all its shortcomings, this method is good for insemination of heifers. The fact is that they are very difficult to inseminate in a rectocervical way. First, only the hand of a very slender specialist can crawl into their rectum. Secondly, the same applies to the genitals of young animals. So the vaginal mirror and syringe in these conditions is an ideal “duet”. In addition, there is no special need for fixation of the cervix, since in heifers it is not yet deformed, it is soft, and therefore the pipette of the syringe slips into it without any special problems. What other methods of insemination of cows are there?
Manocervical Method
So, what is “cervix” you already know. And the "manus" is a hand. So the method is very similar to the previous one, with one exception - the vaginal mirror is not used with this method. As in the two previous cases, before starting work, it is necessary to thoroughly rinse the external genitalia with a solution of furatsilina or potassium permanganate, after which, taking a syringe with a dose of seed in your hand, insert it into the vagina. The operator finds the cervix, inserts a syringe there and squeezes its contents into the cavity of the organ.
In principle, the technique of inseminating cows with this method is completely analogous to the visocervical method. But there is still a slight difference, which is a lower risk of infection, since no extra tools are used.
How to identify a cow ready for insemination?
So we figured out the basic methods of artificial insemination. However, for all this time the question of how to determine a cow that is already ready for the insemination procedure has not been touched upon ...
In principle, this is pretty simple. If such an animal is stroked in the sacrum and pelvis, then it stands calmly, without making any attempts to kick you. The external labia becomes somewhat swollen, a small amount of transparent or slightly darkish mucus may come out of them. You should inseminate such a cow by waiting a couple of hours after the start of the hunt. After 10 hours, the procedure is recommended to be repeated. It should be remembered that the hunt lasts only about 20 hours, and therefore the next attempt will be available only after 20-21 days. The best time for insemination of cows is morning.
Experienced technicians can test the cow’s readiness for insemination by gawking at the ovaries with rectal examination. In a "matured" animal, a ready-made follicle is clearly felt, which is about to burst, releasing an egg. Once again we recall that only a very experienced and cautious specialist can do such a study, since a careless technician will almost certainly damage the follicle, making further insemination senseless.
The process of preparing an animal for insemination
If insemination is not carried out in the arena (as often happens), then the stall should be thoroughly cleaned before the procedure. It should be remembered that for cleaning in no case should you use "hard" disinfectants, limiting yourself to ordinary potassium permanganate or something like that. The cow's anus is manually cleared of manure. After that, the operator must find the cervix and its body, and then massage these organs. In those rare cases, if the insemination of the cow is still used by the bull, the animal must also be cleaned before mating!
After that, the entire back of the cow, including the sciatic tubercles and the root of the tail, is carefully washed with warm soapy water, while completely removing the dried crusts of manure, excreta, etc. Having finished this, rinse the treated area with furatsilin solution. Only after the end of all these procedures can you begin insemination. So many cycles of “washing” must be carried out in order to ensure that no infection is brought into the reproductive system of the cow. This is how the cows are inseminated.
Note that the artificial insemination of animals in recent years has been developing at an extremely high rate. This is facilitated by the fact that animal husbandry is a profitable sector of the national economy, and they try to use semen from valuable bulls-producers with maximum efficiency.
Artificial insemination allows not only to bring the probability of the appearance of the calf to 100%, but also makes it possible to get two calves from the cow per year (one is born, the second in the womb). So it is possible to defeat the barrenness and increase the economic profitability of the economy.