I decided I’d better break this post down to two parts…
For the more squeamish… skip tomorrow’s post… I’ll give more details then.
For now…
Welcome to A. I. School!
We’ve AI’d for quite a few years now… but only on our first calf heifers. We have the opportunity to get good Angus semen for these girls without buying the bull, so to speak, and it is nice if you can get calving season over with fast, which, if you are successful at your AI’ing, will happen!
Remember calving season??? Yeah, it is nice to get it over with!
We start by gathering up supplies… Toria took an ABS class a few years back and ended up with all the supplies… well, except semen and a tank! I forgot to take a pic of the tank, but suffice it to say that the semen is kept in “straws” in a liquid nitrogen tank.
Frozen.
Very frozen.
You pull out a straw… put it in heated water to thaw it…
That’d be the ABS heated “mug” next to the Subway mug.
Which has coffee in it.
Don’t get them confused.
That’d be BAD.
Load up!
We’re going in!
Well, first you might want a little protection too, since you’ll be elbow deep inside a cow really soon!
It is best when you have the local expert D. to supervise too… she’s helped train my kids… and continues to do so, though if it’s a tough one, D. will step in and do it herself.
Then our neighbor girl S. was here too… she helps us all the time… and is pre-vet in college, so she’s game for all sorts of things. She’s also one of Toria’s best friends… can you tell? Why else would you hold a nasty tail bare handed and laugh?
Nothing like standing around on a rainy AI day with friends and family while poor S. is busy AI’ing the last one…
This was a quick introduction into AI’ing at the Greet School…
Look at my sweeties!
What a crew!
What a blessing!
And, Dandy….
Happy 21st Birthday, my boy!
Find me here!
