Falklands : Falklands: All Set for the 2006 AI & ET Programme
Submitted by Falkland Islands News Network (Juanita Brock) 11.09.2005 (Article Archived on 25.09.2005)
Nyree Heathman explains how AI and ET are carried out in the Falklands.
Photos (c) Wool Press - Crown Copyright
FALKLANDS: ALL SET FOR THE 2006 AI & ET PROGRAMME
A Report for the Wool Press Issue 189 September 2005
By Nyree Heathman
Adrian Weitech inseminates a ewe at Saladerio.
It seems like we have barely finished this year’s ovine AI & ET programme and already we are planning the 2006 programme, which it is hoped will commence in January. With this in mind, I thought it would be a good idea to briefly explain AI & ET, especially for those of you who may be considering getting some work done for the first time.
Artificial Insemination (AI)
AI in sheep is a fairly simple and quick procedure. The ewe is restrained in a cradle and inseminated through a small hole in her abdomen with the seamen of your choice whilst under a mild sedative. To ensure the ewe is on heat, she has to go through a simple synchronisation process over a period of 16 days – although there are only 5 days during this period that you actually have to do something to either your ewes or your teaser wethers / vasectomised rams. Success rates of 60 to 75% can be expected.
Fresh Embryo Transfer (ET)
ET is a pretty scary thought to most farmers but is actually a lot more straightforward than it sounds, although it does involve a great deal more preparation on the synchronisation front than AI. Superior stock, both ewes and rams (semen can be imported) need to be selected. Then the ewes, known as donors need to be synchronised to produce more than one or two eggs than they would naturally (often up to five or six). This is a 3-week process and involves a great deal of dedication, as accurate timings of injections (pituitary hormone) are essential.
There are also numerous injections of pituitary hormone and in the 3-week period there are 9 days that the donors and teasers will require injections, etc. Of these 9 days, there are 4 consecutive days on which the donors have to be injected twice daily – 8am and 6pm. These injections are crucial to the success of your programme. You also have to synchronise recipient ewes for your embryos to be transferred into on collection day. Your donors are then inseminated with the semen of your choice and 5 or 6 days later they undergo surgery to collect the fertilised embryos from the uterus.
The donor ewe will be restrained in a cradle and anaesthetised. After a small incision is made in her abdomen to allow access to the uterus, a special solution is flushed through the uterus to wash the embryos out into a petri-dish, where they can be found and graded with the use of a microscope. Now they can be transferred into your recipient ewes. At this point you have the option of freezing the viable embryos for transfer at a later date or different location.
Another option for Embryo Transfer is to import frozen embryos from Australia, New Zealand or even South Africa, as has been done over the last three years. However, it must be noted that imported frozen embryos are considerably more expensive than locally produced ones. This allows you to import different breeds and genetics from specific flocks or animals that meet importation protocol.
Typically you can expect the following success rates although I cannot stress enough that there are no guarantees with embryo transfer. Frozen embryos – 40% and fresh transfer – 60%. There are numerous factors that can make or break a programme: feed quality and availability, animal stress, animal condition, weather, feed changes, animal health, your management of the process – the list is endless.
If anyone is considering AI or ET on their farms next year, or just want to have a chat and ask a few questions, you can contact me, Nyree Heathman, at the Department of Agriculture on phone 27355, FAX 27352 or e-mail: nheathman@doa.gov.fk.
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