How does AI at home with cilled semen work

[Janetterose]

After all the shennanigans this year

I am pretty up to speed about pre-pregnancy scans, when to inseminate etc. etc but how long before insemination needs to take place is the chilled semen sent to us and how do they usually send it? <font color="purple"> </font>

 

[AndyPandy]

The less time between ejaculation and insemination, the better. Generally, the semen should be collected, extended and chilled the day before you are due to inseminate. In this case, the semen is sent in syringes in a shipper (disposable or non-disposable) which keeps the semen at 4-5 degrees C, and can be sent in the post - preferably by Special Delivery (before 9am).

 

[sallyf]

Or if the stallion is within a couple of hrs drive away you can collect it fresh and unchilled for insemination straight away which is even better.

 

[AndyPandy]

Absolutely - this will give you an even better chance of success - but I would say, make sure that you still extend the semen. It has been shown that the extender not only keeps semen alive for longer outside of the mare, but also keeps it alive for longer once it's inside the mare, and improves fertility rates.

 

[Janetterose]

Sally, sorry to be pedantic but do you mean a couple of hours each way or the whole journey within 2 hours.
Thanks
Janette

 

[sallyf]

We ship extended fresh semen (unchilled) for anything up to 3 hrs from stud to mare.(one way)
Usually we collect when customer arrives so as fresh as possible and then they drive home and have vet waiting.
Sometimes we meet customer 1/2 way if time allows.
Years ago though we collected semen fresh extended and the journey was 5 hrs each way .
Did this with 2 mares and both in foal first time.

 

[sallyf]

Yes sorry Andypandy should have said extended just took that as said really if not going straight into the mare.

 

[Faithkat]

That's exactly what I did last week. It's only about 45 minutes drive between the stud where the stallion is and the stud where the mare is so I went off to the stallion's stud, watched while they collected (had a look at sample under the microscope!) and then drove back to the mare's stud. They inseminated her straight away so it was literally a maximum of an hour between ejaculation and insemination. After a friend suffered with total delivery fiascos last year, I'm afraid I would always go and pick it up myself and bring it straight back. I wouldn't be relying on delivery services - they were appalling (and expensive)

 

[seansheep]

as said below - it's the closest you can get to the actual ovulation - hence when the mare is at home the vet will need to come and scan her to determine how close she is to ovulation. The pain is if she looks like ovulating at the weekend as you cannot get a carrier to deliver semen on a sunday !!

so to cover that aspect pick a stallion that is say within a 2 hr drive each way of you and do home AI. That way the semn could be sent by Equitainer if she is ready to be AId tuesday to sat. but if it's going to be say sun/mon then you still have the option to drive to the stud to collect.

Also make sure that you will have somewhere to deliver the semen container to that is always 'manned' - I have mine delivered to the vets as nothing worse than getting one of those cards saying "we tried to deliver....." etc

 

[Damien]

and when it arrives be sure they put it all into the mare, you will be amazed how many vets and AI technicians think that its a good idea to hold some back and store it in the fridge to use 48 hours later if the mare has not yet ovulated........

 

[Faithkat]

Yes, I know what you mean . . . it lives better IN the mare than outside of her (up to 5 days, isn't it?)

 

[Damien]

generally they say 72 hours from the time of ejaculation and that yes being stored at body temeperature allows the semen to mature whilst in the mare and keeps. However we frequently keep semen for analysis in the fridge and have noticed that some stallions semen can last way beyond that enough to get a mare pregnant but thats not the aim. Last year one of the stallions was in competition and away for the week, we had collected from him on the sunday and by the Friday the mare came into foalie heat, we didn't want to wait until the stallion came home so we used what we had stored as it was till looking good under the microscope, the mare scanned in foal 15 days later..