The ejaculate collection is the first step in the production of seminal doses. Therefore, this week, the following one and at the end of July, our R + D + i Biotechnology / Veterinary department are offering you some advice and aspects to take into account during this phase.
TIPS FOR SEMEN COLLECTION (I): COLLECTION AREA
From the hygienic point of view and for the safety of the operator, collection must be done in an area specifically designed for it, with correct lighting and adequate temperature conditions (nowadays the new collection areas are already built with air conditioning).
Regarding the design of the extraction area, there are several variants, as there is not only a right one. The access and exit should be easy for the animals, with opaque corridors to avoid possible distractions of the boar in its movements. These corridors should not be wider than 0.8-1 meters to prevent the boar from turning around while we are guiding it.
PRE-COLLECTION /STIMULATION AREA
The pre-collection pen or erotic zone is one of those variants that exist in collection rooms. This is an area to achieve the stimulation of the boar that is waiting to pass to the collection zone. Through visual and olfactory stimulation with the boar that is being collected, we can reduce the time of the jump of the boar to be collected. In this stage, we can clean and empty the preputial diverticulum, in order to reduce the possible contamination of the collection area.
COLLECTION PEN
Quantity of dummies: 1 dummy per 25 boars
Recommended dimensions for the semen collection pen: around 0.8-1 meters wide and 2.25-2.5 meters long. These measures are intended for the boar to focus the attention on the dummy, with no space to turn around or get distracted, which would delay the jump to the dummy.
Flooring: A non-slip material, such as rubber mats, should be placed to ease the jump. Grid floors are not recommended, as they may harm the animal’s legs.
Dummy: It must be well anchored to the ground and be made of stainless steel or some non-porous synthetic material to ease cleaning. It must have blunt finishes, and be adjustable to the height of the boar.
Adjacent pit for the operator: About 1 meter height, which will facilitate access to the boar’s penis
There must be a liquid drainage area in the collection pit.
It must be a quiet area, free of noises or elements that may distract the boars
To finish this post, it is not recommended to collect using mobile dummies in their own stables or in the corridors, since it is a risk for the physical integrity of the operator and we can aid the spread of bacterial contamination throughout the different pens.
We will continue next week with TIPS FOR SEMEN COLLECTION (II), hoping these ones could have been useful and interesting for you.
