# ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION OF DOES



## DonnaBelle (Apr 14, 2010)

HI all,

My vet said he was interested in artifical insemination and was wondering about doing goats.

Has anyone here had any experience with this procedure with their does??

DonnaBelle


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## cmjust0 (Apr 14, 2010)

I watched someone do it to one of theirs..  Didn't seem terribly difficult, but it didn't take on that particular try either.  This particular person has had a lot of kids born through the following process, though:

1)  Use all kinds of hormones to lyse a poopload of eggs all at once out of a really nice, registered, expen$ive doe.
2)  AI her with a straw from a really nice, registered, expen$ive buck.
3)  On a certain day after the AI procedure, cut that doe open and retrieve a poopload of embryos.  Sew her back up and start the countdown for the next "flush."
4)  Transfer the embryos to any number of crappy $40 auction does known as "recips."
5)  Let the crappy does gestate, birth, and possibly raise really nice, registered, expen$ive kids -- to whom they're not even related.  

It's pretty crazy if you ask me.


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## ksalvagno (Apr 14, 2010)

I haven't had the personal experience but found out that my vet does it. He isn't thrilled with the success rate but there are people out there that want it done so he does it.


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## DonnaBelle (Apr 14, 2010)

Good grief CM, that sounds very complicated and tricky, not to mention hard on the doe!!

I think my vet is looking for a little guinea pig to do this on, or should I say, guinea goat.

Ok, back to the old-fashioned, tried and almost true way.

DonnaBelle


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## aggieterpkatie (Apr 14, 2010)

Cut the doe open?  When we did it in cows we just flushed the uterus.  Besides, that's flushing a doe, not just AIing one.  

Most times when you AI you're just breeding that one doe so she gets pregnant with said semen.  A good way to improve your herd genetics if you have the ability to AI!


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## Roll farms (Apr 14, 2010)

From what I've read the success rate is 40-80%....that's not good enough for me, so I do it the old fashioned way....well, my boys do.  

However, if I didn't have (or have access to) a buck, I'd consider it if I had to.


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## freemotion (Apr 14, 2010)

cm is talking about embryo transfer, not AI, when he talks about cutting.  Not to worry, no cutting open with AI.


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## freemotion (Apr 14, 2010)

Oh, and when I was having trouble finding a buck, I asked around about AI.  Found out that I could buy a couple of registered, bred does for the same price.  Ended up buying a buckling who got the job done, sold him for the same price, and got my does bred for the price of a few bales of hay and a bit of grain.  And extra laundry soap....


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## cmjust0 (Apr 15, 2010)

aggieterpkatie said:
			
		

> Cut the doe open?  When we did it in cows we just flushed the uterus.  Besides, that's flushing a doe, not just AIing one.
> 
> Most times when you AI you're just breeding that one doe so she gets pregnant with said semen.  A good way to improve your herd genetics if you have the ability to AI!


Yeah, I'm talking about flush breeding.  Just giving the OP an idea of 'the state of the art,' as it were..  

Anyway, you've got me second guessing myself now in terms of who gets cut open..  But put it this way -- _somebody_ gets cut open.  I can't remember if it's the flush doe, the recip, or _both_.  Could very well be both.

Seems like I remember him talking about taking the flush doe and making one incision over the 'horns' of the uterus (the fallopian tubes) and another into the uterus utself...then flushing the horns with saline and catching the embryos as they get pumped out the hole in the uterus..  Something like that.  

Then...geeze...do they insert the embryos vaginally or do they cut the recip open and stick'em straight in the uterus...or into the fallopian tubes..?

Actually, I'm pretty sure they cut those open too, because he sorta described it as an assembly line process..

I dunno...I frankly can't remember how the entire process works, but it definitely involves someone getting cut open.  And the more I think about it, the more I really think _everybody_ gets cut open..

Well, except the buck, I guess....he just gets an electric probe rammed up his butt.  That's actually not so bad.

Er, I mean...that _sounds_ horrible, and I literally have no idea what that would feel like.  I mean, how would I, right?  It's not as if I've ever had an electric probe up MY butt..  No sirree Bob.  Not this guy.


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## aggieterpkatie (Apr 15, 2010)

cmjust0 said:
			
		

> Er, I mean...that _sounds_ horrible, and I literally have no idea what that would feel like.  I mean, how would I, right?  It's not as if I've ever had an electric probe up MY butt..  No sirree Bob.  Not this guy.


Well, it actually must feel pretty good if it makes them complete the job.    The ones for the bulls are pretty darn big...like arm sized. 

And I'm not sure why they'd actually cut anyone open.  Seems they could just flush like with cows, but I guess maybe since goats are so much smaller they can't exactly put their arm in the rectum to help with the flush.


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## aggieterpkatie (Apr 15, 2010)

Here's  a good site explaining it.  Yep, looks like a surgical procedure for both the donor and recip.  It's SO much easier in cows!


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## Roll farms (Apr 15, 2010)

Hey CM....you're big on research...why don't you try that probe out and get back to us about how it feels.

 
:kneeslapper


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## BetterHensandGardens (Apr 16, 2010)

freemotion said:
			
		

> Oh, and when I was having trouble finding a buck, I asked around about AI.  Found out that I could buy a couple of registered, bred does for the same price.  Ended up buying a buckling who got the job done, sold him for the same price, and got my does bred for the price of a few bales of hay and a bit of grain.  And extra laundry soap....


That a great idea for anyone have trouble finding a buck, hopefully that won't be a problem for us


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## freemotion (Apr 16, 2010)

I plan on doing the same thing this fall, too.  I live in the suburbs, so keeping a buck is something I can only do once it is chilly and people have their windows closed!


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