Today I would like to share with you the process of Artificial Insemination, but before we get too much further with that, let's talk about the birds and the bees a little bit...
It all starts with a gilt or sow, when I go through piggy puberty, my body is ready to produce viable eggs during estrus to begin mating and reproducing. This typically happens for the first time between 6-7 months (150-200 days) of age. We, as pigs will often give birth to our first litter when we are 1-year old. Once we give birth, we're then considered to be a sow and no longer a gilt. I was a very proud mother of 13 last year, so I am now proud to be called a sow.
Most pigs are bred through artificial insemination, meaning the female was bred artificially by a human who uses semen collected from a boar. Why is this done? Selection of the best genetics to improve the offspring born, and to improve the safety on a farm - boars can be very dangerous!
I came into heat and Mr. Allen and Mikayla jumped into gear to set up for class. The kids were more excited than I was with what was about to happen. They prepared all the necessary equipment to AI (artificially inseminate) me.
A student from the Junior class (Sara) prepared the following information to give you more details.....
* AI is used to deliberately introduce semen into a sow or gilt.
Advantages
-Less dangerous
-Less risk of disease transmission
-Faster for sows
-Most likely to impregnate
-Farrowing date is more accurate
- No need to keep boars on location
Disadvantages
-Costs a lot depending on where the semen originates
-Time consuming with gilts
-Requires higher level of management
-Greater chance of human error
Facts
- Sanitation of equipment is very important
-AI has a high conception rate
-A pigs estrous cycle is 21 days
-Estrous may only last a day or two.
This Picture shows a swine Uterine Tract
How is AI done?
They could tell I was in heat because my ears began to twitch a lot and when they applied pressure on my loin and I was willing to stand still and not run away. 
They used a Spirette and inserted it in an upward angle to avoid my bladder. They continued rotating the spirette counterclockwise until they reached my cervix.
When they met resistance they gently pulled back and attached the bottle of semen. This is were I helped them with the AI procedure. I started contracting until all the semen was removed from the bottle. Are you wondering why Mikayla is sitting on my back?
she did that to trick me so I would stand still. Her trickery worked!
Once I took all the semen they gently removed the spirette.
Are you wondering how many times this was attempted?
3 AI procedures were completed total over a 2 day period approximately 12 hours apart each time.
I am sure now that you have read all of this you think they are awful people. Please don't think that, this is the safest way for me to get pregnant and I have to tell you I love being pregnant. I have gotten a lot of attention and Mikayla always brings me lots of treats.
Fun Fact: Unlike most species of livestock and even humans, boar semen cannot be preserved in liquid nitrogen. For instance, semen from cattle can be collected from a bull and preserved in liquid nitrogen for several weeks or even years. Once a cow or heifer is ready to breed, the semen is simply thawed in a warm water bath and a person artificially inseminates the female.
Pigs on the other hand have very fragile sperm and semen. It cannot be frozen in liquid nitrogen and thawed for later use.
Instead, once the semen is collected, it is mixed with stabilizers and extenders (nutrients to feed the sperm) and then placed in a temperature controlled chamber. This chamber mimics the body temperature of a boar. The semen placed in the chamber will remain viable (or alive) for a period of about three to five days. Then the sperm typically dies and the semen become obsolete.
I am so excited to be a part of the Ag educational program at East High and the kids are really excited too! Every student that has participated in this project have had lots of information to share with everyone reading this blog. Please continue to watch and learn many new things about me.
<3 Pinky Jane
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