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Diy ai

Manorpark man

i do my own ai but is it just me or is it very much so this year a lot of lads are doing the course etc to do their own?

made up the sums on a 100 cow herd towards getting ai tech and saving of circa €700 or so, if a lad messed up 3 cows that could of held that €700 be gone immediately wouldn’t it?…. Is it just the convenience idea of doing it towards getting a tech? Or the savings part? …. I did it originally for the convienience aspect but looking back my results probably aren’t any better and the savings were probably eroded in old straws that I’ll never use just left there…. Not sorry I did it just saying my after thoughts

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tanko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058224232/diy-ai

I did the course twenty years ago, bought a flask, it’s still going strong (touch wood), never move it. I found it tricky the first year or two and kept a bull on but once i got the hang of it and a bit of confidence i find it easy enough now, find the alpha sheaths very good, only do 25-30 cows and heifers, don’t let anyone say it’s not worth it for a small number like that, it is. Had 28 calved in 46 days last year, it was too compact a calving season really, would average three repeats a year and 85-90% of cows Ai’ed go in calf on average, being able to do them at the right time whether 6 in the morning or 10 at night is a big plus i think. On a hundred cow herd the saving would be more like two grand i’d say. There’s a knack to it, once you master it, it’s like riding a bike you do it without thinking about what you’re doing.

You do have to be careful not to buy too many straws, just buy enough to do the year but sometimes i would stock a bit up on a good bull i that might not be available soon.

Manorpark man

Sorry it was rough sums on dairy ai, could be way off, beef straws not as expensive usually as dairy ones

tanko

There’s any amount of good beef straws available for €10 - €20, but you’re paying about €20 per cow for the Ai tech putting the straw in the cow, so a DIY operator is saving €20 per cow before costs of liquid nitrogen (€200/year) and the initial cost of the course and flask spread out over whatever number of years. Both systems have pros and cons. It’s probably only a matter of time until NCBC are charging 30 yo-yos plus the straw cost per cow cause you know Covid and Brexit.

Hard Knocks

If you don’t need out of catalog straws and have a good reliable AI tech, then there’s no point going DIY. If you need specific straws then it’s invaluable

Donald Trump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118370669#Comment_118370669

Depends on where you are though too. The AI tech for this area only lives a couple of miles away. But he covers a massive area and when he is busy, he'd only be calling at about 7am or after 8pm (on his way home). Actually some times he might be even later than that. So I can well imagine lads doing it if they have difficulty getting one out when they need him

(Although it probably still wouldn't be worth the bother of doing the DIY course for here)

patsy_mccabe

The local AI guy here is getting to be a pain to deal with. He only comes when it suits him, as he has another business on the side. If you had a cow bulling at say 6pm, you'd ring him in the morning and he'd say he be a couple of hours. He won't give a time. You could be waiting for him all day and he might not come till 6pm. Serious amount of repeats here as a result. Neighbours are fed up with him too. He'd be grumbling even when you ring him. The last guy was a pleasure to deal with in comparison. He does live a long way away which doesn't help.

White Clover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118370856#Comment_118370856

Would you be better off ringing or texting him when you see the cow bulling. That gives him 12 ish hours notice then.

alps

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118371026#Comment_118371026

Forget him....if he's not going to prioritise the inseminations, you have no business of him in your yard. Breeding is miles too imprortant to accept anything but 100% service..

White Clover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118371123#Comment_118371123

I disagree. Give him all the information so that he can plan his route.

If you don't get good service after that then fair enough.

Mooooo

Agree with alps there, would be telling the AI company to get someone that'll turn up.

DIY here as well, would still get the techs if synchronising heifers etc or if very busy. One years savings on the arm fees would cover the course, do the odd washout and that as well.

Even if it didn't work out re doing the the AI the course isn't a bad thing to do. If getting the techs and they have the straws you want use their straws as it'll save the bit of vat on em as well

White Clover

Why the delay in getting the call or message to him?

When I used to be breeding heifers I always left him know when I'd see them coming on. Always got great service and a word of thanks for letting him know so that he could plan his route.

It's a bit much if you see a cow bulling this evening and go out tomorrow morning and ring the tech and expect him in the yard straight away when he already has calls lined up.

patsy_mccabe

Sometimes if they were standing the night before, I'd text him but the cow might not be fully on, so you wouldn't know till the morning. Neighbours here are sick of dealing with him too. The last guy was a pleasure in comparison.

ABitofsense

My AI man has a defined route. The arrangement would be the same as Patsy, see a cow night before & ring him in the morning around 8. If he's busy be 12 or not so much would be 10ish. He'd have a lot of dairy lads in-between which take the time.

I'm tempted to do the course myself as I can AI before or after work for flexibility & not caught with one companies straws.

whelan2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118371241#Comment_118371241

But you can use any ai companies straws. We use alot of dovea straws but our ai man is pg. Ai man has our straws in his flask

[Deleted User]

A friend of mine who is in an isolated part of West cork who'd be in an area of part-time suckler farmers have it rough regards AI or even getting a vet out. His AI man is like Patsy's man just an awkward individual .

On the other hand my brother who started dairy last year lives next door to his ai man and is his second call in the morning's. You couldn't faze this young lad and has an encyclopedic knowledge of bulls.