Those of you who have had poor AI success, what have you done differently from years past? Below is a list of questions I always ask people when they tell me they didn't have good success with their AI.
Did you AI yearlings?
Did you change feed within the last 90 days?
Did you perform a flush on your does starting 45 days prior to AI? This is the practice of increasing the fat content of their feed in an effort to help ovulation, it is common practice for the goat industry.
Did you change the time that you AI'd post CIDR removal?
Did you change the date that you AI'd drastically from years past?
Did you obtain your PMSG from a different source?
Did the does that took to AI in years past take again?
Did you give any medication 30 days prior/after AI date?
Did you run the deer through your handling facility within 30 days of AI having been performed?
I perform transcervical AI every year for several people, I wont claim to hit 100% every year as my nose would grow long and I would poke your eye out! I can tell you that what you do to your deer the 364 days prior to your AI date accounts for 90% of your success. I have been performing AI for a friend of mine in NE Alabama for the last 6 years, I would say we have averaged close to 75% with the AI on his farm. I feel that is a very good number all things considered. Every year I have done AI for him a large percentage of the does I have breed have been yearlings that have never fawned before thus greatly reducing our success. I have another friend in TX who I have AI'd for 4 years, every year I did AI for him I would say we AI'd between 12-20 yearlings. Looking at the average success rate on yearlings between these two locations I think it is fair to say I hit between 40-45% success on the yearlings. I strongly believe the amount of stress the deer are under prior to and after AI is one of the biggest variables. Everything I have said is strictly my opinion. I can tell you that I learned how to AI from one of the best in the industry, Kelly Powell. If you make detailed notes every year, your AI process is repeatable, and you minimize the stress your deer are under, there is no reason why you cannot achieve 80-90% success year after year. I have several people that I have AI'd for who have only had me AI a handful of their deer each year who have had 100% success, I attribute that to the way they care for their animals. I have a great respect for the thousands of hours that each of my friends put into their herds, I sincerely care for each animal as if it were mine, and I try to work around the schedule of the farm/ranch I am doing AI at. I attribute my success entirely to that. On the flip side of the coin, if something goes wrong and someone sees very low AI success rates after I performed AI who do you think gets the blame? That is the downside of being the AI tech...... Additionally when I see practices that I believe attribute to poor AI success I am in a bit of a pickle when this occurs with someone who doesn't know and trust me personally. My final note, no matter who you use to perform your AI make sure you are as detailed as possible so you can make slight alterations each year. Each little tweak of your AI plan can potentially increase or decrease your success rates drastically! If you have any questions for me I am happy to help, and would gladly take time to speak with you.