Any thoughts about purchasing semen?

we would like to breed our two does SOON and have missed their heats the last few months from being overwhelmed with other life events.

We don’t seem to have too many options for bucks in the Puget Sound area and our girls are not used to being put into a crate and trucked 35-40 miles.

So I am wondering about the option of purchasing semen. Can get 5 vials for $200 from nearby farm.

here are our questions:

Is it something we can do ourselves or do we need the vet to administer ?

Is the success rate better or worse, typically, than the real thing?

How long does the semen typically last if kept refrigerated?

Does one vial usually do the deed?

Thanks for any help anyone can offer. We are newbies trying get up to speed!

The biggest investment in doing AI is in purchasing a semen tank, which has to be kept charged to keep the temperature cold enough. I don't remember the temp, but it is way below zero. I haven't looked into them in a long time, but last time I checked it was $800 to $1000 for a tank.

Lots of people learn to do AI themselves, but the success rate is not as good as a real buck. I know someone who had 10-15 does and didn't want to buy a buck, so she invested in the training and equipment and bought semen, and not a single doe got pregnant. My guess is that something was wrong with the semen or the semen tank. But it's just a worst case example.

One straw is what is typically used when doing AI.

Having your own buck is so much easier, and he can breed the doe multiple times when she's in heat, which increases success. Plus she won't let him mount her unless she really is in "standing heat," which is the only time she can get pregnant. You can get timing wrong with AI and be off by only a few hours and wind up with a doe not getting pregnant. When my does are in heat I stick them in with a buck for the rest of the day, sometimes overnight to be sure that we get that tiny window where she can actually get pregnant.

Replies

Janice Murphy February 26, 2018 at 10:10am

Thank you Deborah. Sounds like AI is not the way to go for us. We are in contact with a local farm Rainy Sunday Ranch, who have a few bucks and are helping us with timing. We have a buck rag now!
Deborah Niemann-Boehle February 25, 2018 at 12:03pm

The biggest investment in doing AI is in purchasing a semen tank, which has to be kept charged to keep the temperature cold enough. I don't remember the temp, but it is way below zero. I haven't looked into them in a long time, but last time I checked it was $800 to $1000 for a tank.

Lots of people learn to do AI themselves, but the success rate is not as good as a real buck. I know someone who had 10-15 does and didn't want to buy a buck, so she invested in the training and equipment and bought semen, and not a single doe got pregnant. My guess is that something was wrong with the semen or the semen tank. But it's just a worst case example.

One straw is what is typically used when doing AI.

Having your own buck is so much easier, and he can breed the doe multiple times when she's in heat, which increases success. Plus she won't let him mount her unless she really is in "standing heat," which is the only time she can get pregnant. You can get timing wrong with AI and be off by only a few hours and wind up with a doe not getting pregnant. When my does are in heat I stick them in with a buck for the rest of the day, sometimes overnight to be sure that we get that tiny window where she can actually get pregnant.

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