EA YF study the miracle of birth By DIETER KRIEG EPHRATA, Pa. - Up to one-third of the artificial insemination services performed on dairy cattle are done at times when the uterus is not fit to be ser viced. That’s one of the revelations made here on Tuesday evening by Dan Rush, district manager for American Breeders Service. He noted that this is an ex ceptionally poor breeding GARBER OIL CO. {texaco] Fuel Chief HEATING GIL t Oil HEATING EQUIPMENT AIR CONDITIONING MOUNT JOY, PA. Ph. 653-1821 TIRES —BATTERIES —SHOCKS FRONT END ALIGNMENT BIG HUB TIRE SERVICE \ Phone 354-4931 \—~J 1 Mile West of Blue Ball on Rt 322 ___ Cyelotvc - YOUR SOURCE FOR MORE PROFITABLE HOG SYSTEMS FARROWING GESTATION Authorized Cydoive Distributor efficiency, but that it is the case in some areas. Rush made the comments at an educational meeting of the Ephrata Area Young Farmers. It was the first of three such scheduled meetings which will deal with dairy cattle reproduction. Tuesday’s meeting was entitled “Dairy cow anatomy and physiology of reproduction;” the next meeting, on Feb. 1, will concern itself primarily with problems of reproduction; and the final session on Feb. 8 will deal with USDA Sire Summary analysis and sire selection. Farmers in the area are encouraged to attend, especially if they feel a need to have some of their breeding problems solved or at least better understood. Although the title of Tuesday night’s presentation may sound like it comes straight out of a college text ne or Write Your Local Representative for Details; He is your exclusive source for Cyclone Equipment. t "J JJ wilts hey equipment Jl I COMPANY ’ ,NC -4 / A Route 30 West at the Centerville Exit Dan Rush, district manager for American Breeders Service, addressed the Ephrata Area Young Farmers on Tuesday evening on the subject of dairy cattle reproduction and artificial in semination. book, the talk given by Rush was geared to what might be called the essentials and basics. His commentary accompanied a slide presentation on the cow’s reproductive tract and AI techniques. ABS uses the same slide show at its AI schools. Aside from explaining the you* 4it» Umet t* « (WEAVER rs. I _ il INC-1 R.D. 4 MYERSTOWN, PA 17067 CALL COLLECT 717-«66-570» • CYCLONE Farrowing Systems they will lower your hog mor tality, increase profits. "CYCLONE Nursery Systems provide the ideal environment for faster growth. • CYCLONE Gestation Systems allows controlled feeding, makes your feed dollar do more for you. • CYCLONE Finishing Systems you finish your hogs with less feed per pound of gam. location, function and tex ture of various parts of the reproductive system, Rush answered questions and stirred his listeners imagination with such facts as four ounces of fluid being enough to cause the uterus to burst. The ABS representative made the comment to Lancaster Farming. Saturda illustrate how delicate and remarkable an organ the uterus is. Prior to pregnancy, explained Rush, the uterus is small and very tender. Four ounces of fluid injected into it could indeed cause it to burst. Yet, as the embryo grows inside the organ after fertilization of the egg, the calf alone could weigh as much as 150 pounds, not to mention the afterbirth and ac companying fluids. The uterus is stretched and it toughens up. Rush cautioned his audience, however, about getting the idea that the cow’s reproductive tract toughens up to a degree whereby it can take abuse. It can’t. He advised dairymen to be careful in what they might introduce into the vagina during breeding, pregnancy checks or calf delivery. Many foreign substances could carry the potential of either injury or infection, especially if they are introduced internally in an improper fashion. Pregnancy checks during the early stages of embryo growth are not recom mended since they them selves could cause the cow to lose her calf if she was pregnant. “The uterus is very delicate and sensitive, so be very careful,” Rush stressed. The ABS district manager surprised many m the group by announcing that naturally deposited sperm cells can travel to their ultimate destination at the far end of the Fallopian tubes in just 30 seconds. A more normal range, however, is three to five minutes. The fertilized egg takes three to five days to travel from its starting point in the Fallopian tube to the uterus. A common sign of either “good” or “bad” news, depending on whom you listened to years ago, was put to rest by Rush when he pointed out that the bleeding from the vagina after heat periods has no significance NURSERY FINISHING Sycamore Ind. Park 255 Plane Tree Drive Lancaster, PA. 17603 (717) 393-5807 Jan. 29.1977 whatsoever other than that the animal is functioning normally. The cause of the bleeding is not understood 100 per cent, but it is known that it is not the sign of a “disappointed womb,” or failure of conception. A point dairymen may want to remember is that it takes naturally introduced sperms six hours before they could possibly fertilize an egg due to their being coated with an enzyme which must be broken down first. The egg is also coated, and that coating must also disin tegrate before fertilization can occur. In artificially delivered semen, however, the break-down time for these coating enzymes is just two hours. An important but little known advance within the AI industry is that semen dosages have become smaller, Rush informed the group of farmers. While this might sound out of reason, Rush explained that “the less material we deposit in the cow, the better.” The reasoning behind that conclusion is that any excess materials deposited into the cow must be removed by the cow herself. The less she has to get rid of, the better. With frozen semen, the injected fluid contains semen ex tenders, for example, which have a purpose in the process of insemination, but are unnecessary once fer tilization has occurred. Likewise, with natural semen, the sperm cells float in the fluid which is basically just there to facilitate movement and afford protection. After the egg has been fertilized, the “vehicle” isn’t needed, and neither are the thousands of extra sperm cells. Only one of them can penetrate the egg. Frozen semen has an ef fective life within the cow for about 24 to 30 hours, Rush went on. This and other factors considered should help to explain the im portance of proper timing in AI, Rush indicated. Although problems of breeding will be discussed at the next meeting, Rush did make himself available for a few comments on that subject. He noted that breeding difficulties can be inferited on the maternal line and that such traits are difficult to breed away from. His advice for such cases is that the problem cows be sold unless they are ex ceptionally good producers. They can and often do pass poor reproductive traits on to their daughters. Also discussed briefly was the incidence of cystic ovaries. More on that subject will be revealed at the meeting on Feb. 1 when a veterinarian will join the cast. Solar Grain Research Underway New studies of solar energy to replace fossil fuels in drying grain are un derway in 12 states with grants from the Energy Research and Development Administration coordinated by USDA’s Ag. Research Service, reports the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 93
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