Cooled Semen Basics

The collecting, processing, and shipping of equine semen requires that very careful attention be paid to every single phase of the process. One of the most important aspects of collecting and processing semen, whether it is cooled semen or frozen semen, is temperature. It is vitally important that every step be made correctly to offer a viable product to the mare owner.

The collection of semen can be accomplished by using a jump mare or a phantom to collect the stallion. Making sure that the semen collection bottle is protected and maintained at a constant temperature similar to the body temperature of the stallion is important so that the semen is not shocked or killed during collection.

Sanitary conditions must be maintained. I use plastic liners that are discarded after each collection so sanitary conditions are met and no contamination is made between collections. Adequate filtering is a must to provide a clean usable product.

After the collection and straining are complete, then the sample must be taken to the lab and tested to see if that sample is adequate for shipping. The sample is placed into a machine that counts the number of sperm per cc. Using this count along with the number of cc of strained semen you have in the sample, you can figure the total number of sperm in the collection.

After that you can check the sample with a microscope to see how many progressive motile sperm you have. This is figured as a percentage of progressive motile sperm and discounts all dead or abnormal moving sperm in the sample.

If the number of progressive motility is adequate, the specimen is ready to extend. It must be extended three parts extender to one part semen to have adequate success with the shipment. Sometimes older stallions require more extender than younger ones. The extender must be compatible with the stallion. It is best to use an extender that has an antibiotic added for shipping protection. The collector should retain a sample of the specimen he ships and open it in 24 hours to check motility to see what kind of product the customer received.

A note should be sent to the mare owner from the shipper of the semen that gives you the name of the stallion collected, the collection date and time, as well as the percent of progressive motility, the extender used, and the dilution rate. It should also state the amount of product shipped and the total number of live progressive motile sperm in the sample. You should expect to receive at least 1 billion sperm per shipment.

You should call your veterinarian and alert him of when the shipment will arrive and give him the information for his evaluation. In shipping semen there is only one goal: that is getting the mare settled in foal. Every step you can provide to insure that is very important to the success of the project.

For More Information Contact:

Jenson American Shires
9110 P-35, Blair, NE 68008
Tel: (402) 426-3198
FAX:
Internet: ClarkJenson@huntel.net

Copyright © 2007 Jenson American Shires
Last modified: 12/01/07