Colorado Agriscience Curriculum

1. Colorado Agriscience Curriculum Unit 4 – Reproduction and Genetics Lesson 17 Artificial Insemination Part 2

2. Removal of a straw of semen from an A.I. Freezer and loading in a syringe 1. Put cold water in your cito thaw and plug it in to turn it on. If available, put a thermometer in the cito thaw to check temperature. Temperature should be between 94 and 96 degrees F. The green light should come on when it is ready. • Locate cito thaw right next to your freezer to ensure the straw will not be exposed to environmental conditions for long. • Open the main lid to the freezer and pull the stopper • Know the canister number that your practice straws are in. • Put on a cotton glove to insulate left hand. • Remember canister can not be in the neck of the freezer for longer than 10 seconds. Unit 4, Lesson 17 - Artificial Insemination Part II Page

3. Removal of a straw of semen from an A.I. Freezer and loading in a syringe • 7. Pull canister handle to the middle so you can pull the canister up. • You cannot pull straight up because the canister is offset so it will not dislodge. • Just position the canister so it is in the middle of the tank but still at the bottom. • Put the straight part of the handle in between your index finger and middle finger of your left hand. • Keep the straight part in between your left hand’s fingers, face down while you pull the canister up with your right hand. Unit 4, Lesson 17 - Artificial Insemination Part II Page

4. Also keep the straw tweezers in your right hand. Once you are in the neck of the freezer take your fore finger and thumb of your left hand and pull up the desired cane. • You should be able to grasp the desired cane by keeping the canister 1 1/4” from the top. • (If the correct cane cannot be located within 10 seconds lower the canister into the freezer for 10 to 15 seconds. • Let the canister with the other canes drop a little ways into the freezer while keeping hold of the desired cane. • Squeeze and hold the canister handle between your fingers and use your tweezers, in your right hand to pick the straw out of the goblet. Unit 4, Lesson 17 - Artificial Insemination Part II Page

5. Pull your canister back up into the neck and drop the cane back into the canister. • Plunge the canister back into the freezer while at the same time putting the straw into the cito thaw. • Close cito thaw lid. • (This whole task has to be done in less than 10 seconds.) Put stopper back in freezer and close lid. Unit 4, Lesson 17 - Artificial Insemination Part II Page

6. Equipment • The Insemination Kit • Cito Thaw • Straw Thermos • Cito Cutter/ Scissors • Syringe/ A.I. Rod • Plastic Sheaths • Paper Towels • Plastic Shoulder-Length Gloves • Lubricant • Cotton Glove • Safety Glasses • Tweezers The underlined words have arrows going to the items in the box. If you just click they will show in order. Unit 4, Lesson 17 - Artificial Insemination Part II Page

7. Step One The most important thing that you can do is keep good records on insemination • Record which bull you used on each cow or heifer • Date when you A.I. each cow or heifer • Records can also provide you with information on the cow or heifer’s cycling period Unit 4, Lesson 17 - Artificial Insemination Part II Page

8. Plug in the cito thaw and let the water you put into it warm up to the right temperature. Unit 4, Lesson 17 - Artificial Insemination Part II Page

9. When the Cito Thaw ready light is on, check the temperature of the water on the Thaw Monitor The temperature of the water should be between 94 and 96 F. Unit 4, Lesson 17 - Artificial Insemination Part II Page

10. This is a picture of the equipment that is needed to A.I. A.I. Liquid Nitrogen Tank The A.I. Box with the equipment inside Unit 4, Lesson 17 - Artificial Insemination Part II Page

11. A cane and goblet help keep the amps and the straw organized • They also keep the straw from falling into the bottom of the liquid nitrogen freezer Unit 4, Lesson 17 - Artificial Insemination Part II Page

12. The liquid nitrogen freezer should be padlocked at all times when it is not in use. Always make sure that the refrigerator is on cardboard or on carpet. Unit 4, Lesson 17 - Artificial Insemination Part II Page

13. If you are unable to find the correct rack within ten seconds, lower the canister into the freezer for about ten to fifteen seconds. After that you should be able to try again. Unit 4, Lesson 17 - Artificial Insemination Part II Page

14. When you lift the canister up hold the handle in between your first and second fingers with the palm of your hand down towards the refrigerator. Unit 4, Lesson 17 - Artificial Insemination Part II Page

15. Hold the cane with your gloved hand and use the tweezers with your other hand to get the straw that you want out of the goblet. Make sure that you do all of that in ten seconds or less. Unit 4, Lesson 17 - Artificial Insemination Part II Page

16. After getting the straw that you want, quickly place the straw in the cito thaw. While you are putting the straw in the cito thaw, lower the rack and the canister back into the refrigerator. Unit 4, Lesson 17 - Artificial Insemination Part II Page

17. . Loading a straw in the A.I. Syringe • Keep the straw in the cito thaw for at least 30 seconds, but not more than 15 minutes. • Once the straw is thawed, pull it out of the thaw unit and dry it off with a paper towel. Water is lethal to sperm. • Cut the crimped end with the cito cutter. Do not cut the end with the cotton plug. • Obtain a sheath and push and twist the straw until it clicks into the adaptor. • Push the straw and adapter into the sheath until the cotton plug end is just on the outside of the sheath. • Pull back the syringe plunger about 5 inches. • Place the sheath over the syringe with the straw going inside of the plunger. • Push the sheath all the way onto the syringe, forcing the adapter to the bottom of the sheath. Unit 4, Lesson 17 - Artificial Insemination Part II Page

18. Loading a straw in the A.I. Syringe • Secure the spiral syringe by pushing and twisting the sheath onto the spiral part of the syringe. • Press the plunger in until you feel it hit the cotton plug. Do not press too hard and lose any semen. • Wrap the end that is inserted in the cow with a paper towel. • Tuck in your shirt. • Put the semen in the front of your shirt to keep the semen warm until you find the target in the cow. • Pull the syringe from you shirt and deposit water slowly into a waste basket. • Undo the sheath and discard it so another student can use the syringe. Unit 4, Lesson 17 - Artificial Insemination Part II Page

19. After 30 seconds with the straw in the cito thaw, take it out and wipe off all the water because the water will kill the semen. Unit 4, Lesson 17 - Artificial Insemination Part II Page

20. Use the cito cutter to cut the end of the straw off in a straight, even cut so that the straw will seed properly. Unit 4, Lesson 17 - Artificial Insemination Part II Page

21. When you place the straw into the sheath, you hold the sheath’s blue stopper in place with your left hand and place the end of the straw that you cut into the stopper until it clicks in place. Unit 4, Lesson 17 - Artificial Insemination Part II Page

22. Push the straw down into the sheath until there is about an inch of the straw still sticking out of the end of the sheath Unit 4, Lesson 17 - Artificial Insemination Part II Page

23. Grab the A.I. rod in your right hand and have the sheath and straw in the left hand. Make sure that the plunger of the A.I. rod is out about four inches, this is so that you will not push any of the semen out of the straw while putting the sheath on the A.I. rod. Put the end of the A.I. rod on the palm of your hand as shown and then, with the sheath in between your thumb and your first finger, guide the straw into the A.I. rod. Unit 4, Lesson 17 - Artificial Insemination Part II Page

24. This is showing the A.I. rod and the sheath at the end when the stopper is pushed all the way down. Unit 4, Lesson 17 - Artificial Insemination Part II Page

25. When you push the sheath onto the A.I. rod and you near about an inch of the end make sure that your O-ring is over the sheath and then slide both of them up. Some A.I. rods also have you twist the sheath into place instead of using the O-ring. Unit 4, Lesson 17 - Artificial Insemination Part II Page

26. After you are all set up, put a towel on the end of the A.I. rod and put it down your shirt, with your shirt tucked in. This is to keep the semen warm until you are ready to insert the A.I. rod into the cow or heifer. Unit 4, Lesson 17 - Artificial Insemination Part II Page

27. After you have the A.I. rod in your shirt, turn your shoulder length glove inside out and put it on your left hand if you are right handed, and your right hand if you are left handed. After you put the shoulder length glove on, put some lube on and then you are ready to go to the cow or heifer. Unit 4, Lesson 17 - Artificial Insemination Part II Page