Frozen Stallion Semen

brownswiss

I am interested in hearing from people who have used Frozen semen on their mares.

This is my first year to try it. Frozen semen is usually 50% cheaper than chilled but if there is only a 37% chance of getting a foal and vet costs are 100% higher is it only a money spinner for the vets and stallion owners who otherwise woud just have to dump the excess semen.

spottykatt

Thought I'd reply seen as noone else is keen!
As you already know OP frozen has a lower success rate than chilled semen, which of course is lower again than fresh or live cover.

The benefits of frozen AI is,
1. Time-It can be stored for years once correctly frozen and stored appropriately so a stallion can keep having new progeny on the ground when he's passed away/beyond fertile years etc. This also facilitates stallions actively competing, in that the stallion can be inseminating mares with frozen while he's actually off competing and not being collect for whatever period of time.

2. Transportable-frozen can be shipped readily across the world far easier than the stallion itself! Also chilled semen rapidly deteriorates so although chilled is fine for overnight delivery it's not going to last a trip from Europe to Auz for example.

The stallion still has to be collected into an artificial V in the exact same way he woulf be collected for chilled semen, so freezing semen doesn't give a use for semen which would otherwise be dumped!! The semen would otherwise remain in the stallions testes!

In reference to your main question, I would advise using frozen only when chilled/fresh is unavailable, for whatever reason.

Hope that helps!
Katt