Why Farms AI Cattle

What is AI you ask? Well AI stands for Artificial Insemination which means breeding an animal by hand. Now to most this might seem like something you don’t talk about, but on some farms it's a BIG part! It is the process of, by hand, breeding an animal. It takes a lot of learning to do it properly and in a safe manner for both breeding and animal.

Why do people AI their cattle? Well, there are several reasons.

A large reason many farms use eople AI is the pure fact that bulls can be very dangerous. A bull is basically 2000 lb of pure testosterone. Granted Bulls can be very kind, friendly, and gentle animals, but they are innately designed to defend, endure, and protect the herd. In some cases they can be very aggressive. In order to avoid having to keep a bull on the farm, some farmers buy semen from breeding farms.

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Another reason some breeders AI their cows and heifers is to have the ability to select from different bulls. By artificaly breading the heard you can chose semon from numers bulls, breeds, and different farms. The farmers are about to choses trates they would prefer the calfs have. For example if the cow has bad leg structure you would breed her to a bull that has correct leg structure, then the calf has a higher chance of having better leg conformation. Other factors could be breeding a smaller cow with a small bull. Then the calf would be small compared to breeding a small cow to a large bull and risking the cow having to carry a calf that is too big for them.

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Yes, animals get STD’s too. By artificially breeding live stock you can asure you are avoiding the possible exposure at all cost. Having each and every member of a herd tested can get expensive quit fast.

By AI breeding their stock farmers can try and calculate when their calves might be born. For this reason, farmers will use AI to evenly space out different cows to calve at different parts of the year to insure that pens won't be overcrowded and that production is happening at all times.

AI comes in handy to ensure successful breeding during a cow’s heat cycle; the prime time when a cow’s egg is ready to be fertilized. By artificial breeding an animals on they day they go into heat you can just about guarantee the animals will take and successfully be bread. This is SO important especially on large farms that have over 1000 head. This leaves very little room for error and can just about guarantee a calf will be on the grounds in a couple of months.

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This process can even show a higher growths rate in calves. “Additionally, most producers will be able to buy better growth genetics from an AIbull stud than they could afford to purchase with the live animal for natural service. Therefore, the AI-conceived calves are likely to have better average daily gain (ADG) values than those conceived through natural bull service.”

Artificial Insemination is a very successful process that has helped both small and large operations succeed over the years. “Estrus synchronization and timed artificial insemination (AI) are an economically viable alternative to owning a bull if the producer has multiple bulls. There are many benefits to synchronization and AI, including a tighter calving season, increased weaning weights from older calves and better genetics.”

-Jaksen

http://www.cattlenetwork.com/advice-and-tips/cowcalf-producer/artificial-insemination-increases-profits