<t>Thanks for sharing your story TEE.<br/> <br/> I've posted a lot about this subject before. I feel pretty strongly that the studs should use much better packaging methods to ship the semen. UPS is what it is, and we need to find ways to deliver a better product despite their problems. There are pa...

<t>As for the other mentioned diseases, SIV (flu) and TGE tests will be irrelevant for the most part unless the animal you purchased is sick and contagious with either disease (which would be very evident). E.Coli will have to be vaccinated against no matter what (if you want healthy piglets) and yo...

<t>Buying from a healthy source in no way eliminates the need to test before introducing the animal to your herd. It simply increases the odds that the pig will test clean. Just because a herd tests frequently for diseases does not mean you don't need to test the animal you purchase from them, unles...

<t>Yes, your vet can draw blood and have it checked for PRRRS titers, myco titers and APP titers. Probably should do all three. Even if you believe the source herd to be negative, it is much better to check than to risk the health of your herd especially with regard to PRRS. If your herd already has...

<t>At this age, they should be eating as much as they want. If they are having a problem with their legs, it is not probably related in any way to how much you feed them. It is much more likely to be a health or genetic issue. <br/> <br/> My advice would be to feed them all they will eat and seek ou...

<t>My opinion is that your semen was probably in good shape. <br/> <br/> The factors involved here would begin with how much temperature fluctuation occured during shipping. You know the temperature that it arrived at and what happened from there, but you don't know what temperatures the doses were ...

<t>Well, there is a lot to consider.<br/> <br/> Do you know the boar's health status with regard to PRRS, APP types 1 and 5, and Mycoplasma pneumonia? Do you know your herd's helath status with regard to these diseases? <br/> <br/> Those are the three majors that you need to be concerned about. If y...

<t>I don't recommend them. They may work ok, but I doubt they operate in a tight enough temperature range or distribute the air evenly. Keep in mind that just because the average temperature may be appropriate, the amount of variation is critical. Semen coolers generally operat within a 1 degree ran...

I was referring to the tail of the sperm cell. When sperm is temperature shocked, the tail often bends to a horseshoe shape and is no longer capable of penetrating an egg. This shouldn't be confused with a coiled tail, which is a common morphological defect that also makes the cell infertile.

The temperatures are adjustable, but I recommend setting them at 17 degrees C. Some units are "fixed" to run at 17 and cannot be adjusted.

I recommend PSSS, and I suspect they'll soon offer a couple of new choices also.

<t>Good point about the facilities. Good facilities will be equally as important as good genetics, good nutrition and good health.<br/> <br/> Don't underestimate the importance of good health. You DO NOT want to begin with a herd that is positive for PRRS or APP and if you can find myco.-free, that ...

See, now that's what I like about this website. Finding people with a passion for raising pigs and kids. Love your stories guys!

<t>On-farm collection when done properly is usually tough to beat. The reason? Freshness of the semen and no exposure to the rigors of transportation. The down side to "on-farm semen" as opposed to "professionally-collected semen" is shelf-life. There is also usually less sophisticated equipment to ...

<t>Like any other business, I would begin with market research. Where will you sell the pigs? What price can you realistically expect? Who are your competitors, and what price are they getting? Is there a need in your area, or is the market already saturated? These are questions you need to get answ...