When to consider AI

The decision to use AI to breed that good female is driven by a lot of factors.

1. Geography
2. Time
3. Availability of the stud
4. Expense

I’m sure that there are more, but let’s look at these four first. They all pretty much boil down to dollars and cents.

Geography

Collection, timing, shipping, and the actual insemination are going to cost some money. The average cost of artifical insemination is by and large MUCH smaller than traveling several hundred miles. Of course, if you pay a vet to do all of these things for you, then your cost is going to be considerably more than if you “do it yourself”. The purpose of this text is to arm you with the knowledge that it takes to cut down on your breeding expense, and is focused on the “do it yourself” mentality.

Travel is expensive, fuel prices continue to rise and we seldom factor in the wear and tear of our vehicles. If the stud you are looking at is a long distance, overnight accommodations are a must. I’ve seen guys spend hundreds of dollars on gas, a night in a motel, food, and other miscellaneous expenses all add up. You could easily spend between 200 and 300 dollars on a cross country trip to breed that good female. Shipping fresh chilled semen is much more cost effective

Time

Again, our time has to be worth something. If you are like me, time is the most precious commodity I have. I can’t afford to take a day or two off work to travel to take a female to a stud dog. When semen is shipped, there is no need for “time off” to get the female bred….

Availablity of the Stud

I know for my males, there are certain times when it’s inconvenient for them to be available for a live cover breeding. If I’m getting ready for a big event, or if I’m busy at work, I just don’t have the time to entertain someone who’s driven 500 miles to breed to my dog. I hate to be rude, but my time is valuable. Collection, preparation, and shipping semen takes about a half hour total time….less time that making nice with a stranger in the driveway and completion of a live cover breeding. Collection of the semen does not have the same “mental” effect on a male than does a live cover…they seem to be albe to recover mentally and not bother females if they are collected as well.

Expense

Let’s take a moment to talk about expense. We will take a deeper dive into just what things should cost in a few minutes, but right now, lets just look at some comparisons.

Just for giggles, I looked at the expense necessary for me to drive from my home in Northern Indiana to Little Rock Arkansas and back home again. All totaled, without incidental driving, that is a 1385 mile round trip. If I figure that I got my “normal” gas milage, and filled my truck up as I left, the total cost for gasoline is going to be right at $165.00 at today’s going rate.

Since I’m going to be gone for two days, a motel room with a shower will be needed, so figure in another $60.00 for a budget room. Meals are another expense, so let’s figure that we eat at the drive up….an average of 6.00 per meal….another 36.00 in eats.

We have invested a total of $261.00 in our “trip”….

We also had to have a negative brucellosis test prior to leaving out on our trip, and average of $35.00 so now we are at the $300.00 mark, not including the stud fee.

The last time that I shipped semen, I could get it shipped next day overnight air for about $50.00 anywhere in the country…. Already, I’ve saved $250.00, not counting the time that it takes to travel.

Combine that with what we have learned already about the increased conception rate, and the higher number of pups…it simply makes sense to use AI unless you are just around the corner from the stud.