Anyone AI their own turkeys or know of any courses?

Having a nightmare here, the local agricultural said they could maybe help with practical AI'ing of turkeys and then they say its not cost effective as there aren't enough people wanting it.

Does anyone AI their turkeys or know of any short courses on this, need some assistance here as a few of my stags are going to be too heavy to tread the girls. Willing to travel within a reasonable distance, based in South Ayrshire, so Scotland, have family in Yorkshire so that's a possibility and of course Cumbria and the lake district is within a reasonable distance.

Any help greatly appreciated, thanks

bodger

It can't be that tricky surely. Distance learning could be an answer, or for starters try your local cattle AI firm. The technology involved could be very similar.

I was tempted to say that Paxo run a course but thought better of it. Very Happy

Here's a bit of info.

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/art...nal-genomics-is-the-driving-force

For some reason the link isn't working but I've sent you a PM on another forum, where I thinks its worked.

bodger

Try clicking the second link down on this page.

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&cr=countryUK%7CcountryGB&q=Turkey+artificial+insemination&start=10&sa=N

LadyFarmer

Hi, apparently a novice can damage the hens, I have Ai'd pigs but never poultry and I wouldn't want to hurt my girls. Have read quite a bit on the subject, but would really like to try it out with an expert at hand.

Couldn't find any distance learning on the subject either, it would be better that way as I have limited time with work and managing this place.

Thanks for the link Bodger, interesting reading. Am trying to find someone that already does this in our area or surrounding areas and have come up against a brick wall.

Other than that I will try paxo Laughing

LadyFarmer

I don't need help to get pregnant Embarassed

Just reading the one you meant, 2nd link was helping me to get pregnant Laughing

bodger

Oops

Ixy

surely it's easier to have a breed that can mate naturally Confused

AI for poultry tends to be a big business thing, the only instance I've heard of it happening otherwise in in very highly bred show breeds like cochins and orpingtons where the cocks are too lazy/big/fluffy to mate effectively. It's a daft route to go down really as by breeding from these overlarge males you get another generation of males too big to mate and the cycle goes on. In business you don't care because meat is all that matters no matter how faffy it is to get, but for smallholding...why go through that?

Cattle AI is very different on all counts. The bull is encouraged to mate with either a fake cow or a real cow with his penis is diverted into an artificial vagina at the last minute. In turkeys there's obviously no penis, as with cockerels. For cockerels you are supposed to stroke down their backs to excite them and then stimulate certain points around their vent to make them ejaculate.

In mammals the sperm needs to be delivered to the appropriate place as a penis would do naturally so insemination is internal. For poultry, in mating the vents just touch and the female sort of 'sucks' it into her vent so all that is needed is to upend the hen between your knees, tip the sperm in and hope, I guess. I gather you can just catch the semen on a clean spoon whereas cattle/pig/horse semen is tested and stored in all kinds of fancy ways for later use. This means the stag has to be collected and the hen has to be ready there and then before the sperm dies.

LadyFarmer

Ixy I have a few turkeys, some of which can breed naturally, I understand where you are coming from with the meat side of things but there are also quite a few people that would be interested in me doing this for their turkeys too, when you are breeding the broad breasted turkeys they tend to get too big in the first year, I am really looking out for the hens as well.

Have Ai'd cattle and pigs, have seen it done for poultry, but I believe that turkeys are different from cockerel and chicken from what I have read. I realise its a large commercial thing but why should the smaller people not be able to do this when they are trying to rear a few hundred turkeys.

There is actually a catheter that can be used in the turkey sperm collection process which makes it a little easier than catching it on a spoon, also believe you can use syringes, as I have a few hens you also need to repeat the process for when the hens are ready. Sounds like a lot of hassle but i would really like to do this Smile

Ixy

LadyFarmer wrote:

Because for smallholders the beauty of a less intensive bird is that you don't have to mollycoddle it to the point where you have to help it have a **** Laughing

LadyFarmer

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