# AI process



## michaelhannaster (May 30, 2012)

He anyone artificially inseminated successfully? I live in south Florida and would like to keep with my alpine blood line but there isn't any breeders to where I could get a stud service. I have seen some videos online but any real success stories and how much $$ in supplies did you have to pay out?


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## Little-Bits-N-Pieces (Apr 7, 2013)

For the A.I kit you're looking at $185, if you're looking to buy a tank $700 for the cheapest company (but it has a 215 day hold time)

My friend kristi doesnt use a thaw jar and has 50/50 success. If you had a thaw jar (a good kit will have one) you can have success up to 85%.

Timing is everything with A.I though.

To buy semen straws they are anywhere from $10 a straw to $200. They have to be shipped in a dry shipping tank and that normally costs $130.


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## OakHollowRanch (Jun 6, 2013)

I was considering AI for our does too. It just seems so complicated and expensive! Unless I can find someone with the supplies and know-how who would like to sell me a few straws and do all the "dirty work" too. I can dream.


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

I would much rather go with AI too, but it's like $150.00-$250.00 a doe here, so I have 2 bucks now, and I paid $75.00 for 1, he was more of a rescue case I think...., but he's good guy usually unless he is in rut and wants to breed with me all the time Makes me want to find work for him.... Then I have my buckling that I paid $50.00 because he was a bottle baby..... So $125.00 for 2, so it's well worth it to have my own...


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## Little-Bits-N-Pieces (Apr 7, 2013)

It is kinda the process, you have to catch them at the right time of the heat, because once its thawed its only good for so long (I heard its no good 25 minutes from being thawed) not sure on that.

But it is worth it to me, and a few people I know. But it is a lot easier to just have a buck.


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

Little-Bits-N-Pieces said:


> It is kinda the process, you have to catch them at the right time of the heat, because once its thawed its only good for so long (I heard its no good 25 minutes from being thawed) not sure on that.
> 
> But it is worth it to me, and a few people I know. But it is a lot easier to just have a buck.


It might be easier to have a buck, but right now my kinder buck has it in his mind that I am a goat and he wants to breed I'm tempted to buy several does, and let him breed to his hearts content....:-/ He's not always like this thank God, but man... I've tried everything to get him to stop... Ear pulling, pinning him down, spray bottle, twisting his nose.... Nothing is working.... At least he isn't trying to butt me, or hurt me, but it's just gross... I guess I'll just have to get used to it to some extent.... Ugh, oh well...


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## ptgoats45 (Nov 28, 2011)

I've got an AI kid in my pasture right now. I AI'd 3 does my first year, 2 took, did 4 last year and 1 took, so success is kind of spotty. I do think a lot of it depends not only when you AI the doe, but where you got the semen from and if the doe is a good candidate. Does that are wild, tense when on the stand, or very touchy aren't really good candidates IMO, they just tense up too much and since the cervix is a muscle, they will tighten the cervix up making it very hard if not impossible to get the straw where it needs to be. It is also best to pick a doe that has a very obvious heat cycle, watch her through a couple heats and write down when she came in, how long she was in and when she started to go out. AI'ing the doe just as she starts to walk away from the buck pen is supposed to be the best time. Does who have unreliable heat cycles are also not the best candidates because you won't know when she is going to come in (if she isn't consistent on the number of days) or when will be the best time (if the length of her heat isn't consistent).

When I started it cost me $500 for a tank, about $200 for supplies then about $250 for 15 straws of semen including shipping. The shipping on the semen is the real killer, it is usually about $120 to have the shipper tank shipped to you and sent back.

The results you get from AI are really worth it. The quality of the kids compared to what you have been getting will be amazing. Plus its just fun to be able to pick any buck in the country to breed your doe to. 

Here are some pics of the two kids I got this year, they were just a couple days old in the baby pics, then the doeling at 5 months, I sold the buckling as a baby so don't have him anymore:


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

Cute


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## OakHollowRanch (Jun 6, 2013)

Those are some gorgeous kids, janeen128! It is tempting, but at those prices, my small hobby herd would really start breaking the bank!


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## Tenacross (May 26, 2011)

PT gave an excellent run down. I would predict her average will go up as that is a very good way of doing things.


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

OakHollowRanch said:


> Those are some gorgeous kids, janeen128! It is tempting, but at those prices, my small hobby herd would really start breaking the bank!


I agree they are gorgeous, but yes, it would totally break the bank..... It is also cool that you can pick your own buck anywhere too


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## ptgoats45 (Nov 28, 2011)

Like anything, I do hope it gets better with more experience. One book I have says you will either fail miserably or do really well the first several times. It says most people do well because they are paying more attention to detail.


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## Tenacross (May 26, 2011)

ptgoats45 said:


> Like anything, I do hope it gets better with more experience. One book I have says you will either fail miserably or do really well the first several times. It says most people do well because they are paying more attention to detail.


Like you I take careful notes and try and get them right at the end of the heat. "Walking away". In my notes it will often say, "still in heat, but does not follow", or, "not as desperate". That is with leading a teaser buck through the herd twice a day. I find 30-38 hours after they go into heat has been pretty lucky for me. Ideally then they are completely out of heat 12 hours later when I tease again, but some of them will still tease a little and still settle, but those ones worry me.


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## Crossroads Boers (Feb 19, 2011)

We are going to give AI a try next year. I won't be doing the AI's, but am excited (and nervous!) about it. We have our AI sires picked out, and will be using AI on 4 of our does next year. We are buying 8 straws, I am really hoping we can have several successful AI's. 

I learned a lot online, and from friends about the whole process. If I had the equipment, I would give it a try myself, but we'll see how it goes next year and go on from there!

It is going to cost us almost $1,000 to get 8 straws, counting shipping from two different states. So even if we get *one *kid that's a keeper, it would be worth it!


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## lottsagoats (Dec 10, 2012)

I would be careful around that buck if he is trying to breed you. That means he has no respect for you and views you as another goat. That can be very dangerous, even if he may not be full sized. Getting him more does and letting him breed to his hearts content can be adding fuel to the fire. What happens when all the does are bred? He goes back to his behavior with you, only more so now that he has a taste of breeding all those does.


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## lottsagoats (Dec 10, 2012)

Many years ago, when I first started in goats, the breeder i got most of my original goats from used AI. She was one of the first in this state to do so. She had some awesome bloodlines and routinely won at shows and had incredible DHIA tests. Both of my bucks were from her AI program. 

Because I was a dairy farmer, and had learned to AI my own cows, I learned how to AI the goats. Goats are much harder than cows to AI and get bred, but it is doable. But....as was mentioned, the prices are high.

However, buying a good buck can be expensive. Then you have all the shots, de-wormings, medications if he gets sick, feed, minerals and any other expenses associated with owning an animal. Plus, if you keep any of his daughters, you'll need a junior buck with all those associated expenses.


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

lottsagoats said:


> I would be careful around that buck if he is trying to breed you. That means he has no respect for you and views you as another goat. That can be very dangerous, even if he may not be full sized. Getting him more does and letting him breed to his hearts content can be adding fuel to the fire. What happens when all the does are bred? He goes back to his behavior with you, only more so now that he has a taste of breeding all those does.


I am careful... He doesn't do that all the time... I was joking about getting does for him to breed to his hearts content... He hasn't tried to hurt me, and I know one of my kinder does is in heat... It lasts a couple weeks and then he goes back to normal...


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## ptgoats45 (Nov 28, 2011)

lottsagoats said:


> However, buying a good buck can be expensive. Then you have all the shots, de-wormings, medications if he gets sick, feed, minerals and any other expenses associated with owning an animal. Plus, if you keep any of his daughters, you'll need a junior buck with all those associated expenses.


Not to mention you could end up paying a whole bunch for a fancy buck and have him die before breeding season. I know a breeder who lost one of her bucks from lightning during a storm. He had been shipped to OK from WA. She also bought a buck from a long ways away as a little baby, when he got a little older she noticed he had two teats on one side. :/


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