How to Start Using Artificial Insemination in Your Herd

Publish date: 3.7.25 

There are numerous benefits of artificial insemination (AI), such as access to superior genetics from around the world at an affordable cost, the ability to reduce your bull inventory, and improved reproductive management of your herd. Today, the access to sexed semen allows producers to Make Matings with Intent. Nevertheless, the idea of AI may seem daunting, so let’s walk through the process. 

First Things First 

It’s important to work with an experienced individual you can rely on during the process. Contacting your local AI technician is a good place to begin, as they can offer guidance and help answer questions you might have. If you don’t know your closest technician, we can help you find one. 

Before you get started, you may need to ask yourself a few questions and consult with your AI technician.  

• Why do I want to implement artificial insemination and what are my goals? 
• Are my facilities adequate for multiple animal handling events? 
• What are the dates of my first and last calf? 
• Where are my cattle at the time of breeding and where will they go afterwards? 
• What final pregnancy rate do I typically achieve? 
• Are my cattle in good condition from a nutritional standpoint? 

Your answers will make it easier to determine the path forward.  

To implement AI successfully, females need to be at a similar point in their estrous cycles, and we utilize estrus synchronization protocols where exogenous hormones are administered on a set schedule.  

After estrus synchronization, females can either be artificially inseminated at a pre-determined time through fixed-time AI (TAI) or after heat detection. Breeding off of heat requires multiple daily heat detection checks for a short period of time, whereas with TAI, all females are inseminated at one time. It’s critical to decide which AI method is best for your schedule, as well as your technician’s. Reach out to your AI technician early to ensure you have enough time to come up with a suitable breeding strategy. 

Start with Heifers 

If you are new to AI, a simple way to start is by estrus synchronizing and inseminating your heifers. Heifers are a blank slate; they have never calved before, meaning there’s no postpartum period to consider, and no calves to sort off during animal-handling events.  

Herds where most heifers are cycling or regularly coming into heat before the breeding season have greater pregnancy success in AI programs than herds with a lower percentage. The best way to have a large proportion of your heifers cycling is to ensure that they weigh approximately 60 to 65% of their mature body weight at the time of AI and are on an increasing plane of nutrition (BCS of approximately 5 to 6). For Bos taurus heifers, we typically breed them to calve for the first time as 2-year-olds. 

Once you have decided when you would like your heifers to calve, you can back-calculate when they need to be bred to AI. Based on the AI date, you can determine when you need to start estrus synchronization, which is dependent on the specific protocol you choose to use. There are many protocols recommended for use in beef heifers, and the best one for you depends on several factors, including protocol length, cost, and number of handling events. Regardless of the protocol you choose, you must stick to the protocol as described and administer the correct drug on the correct day and use the correct needle length.  

When determining what bull to use on your heifers, it is important to study his Calving Ease EPD, since you want to choose a bull with good calving ease to minimize calving difficulties in your first-time calvers. 

Implementing AI in Your Cows 

A challenge of initiating AI in a herd of cows is that calving dates and postpartum periods can vary widely if estrus synchronization has not previously been implemented. Additionally, the extra labor required to separate calves before each handling event must be considered.  

Cows with longer intervals from calving to AI are more likely to have resumed cyclicity, increasing their chances of becoming bred to AI. On the other hand, cows that calve within 40 days of AI tend to have reduced pregnancy rates but still benefit significantly from estrus synchronization with a CIDR insert, as the progesterone from the CIDR can help jumpstart cyclicity in non-cycling females. Later-calving cows that undergo estrus synchronization but fail to conceive to AI are more likely to become pregnant to the clean-up bull earlier than late-calving cows not exposed to estrus synchronization.  

You can narrow your calving window, increase the number of females cycling before the breeding season, and improve pregnancy rates to AI by implementing estrus synchronization and AI over several years.

Breeding Heifers and Cows 

If you already AI your heifers, the next step is to begin inseminating your cows. It’s recommended to breed heifers two to three weeks before cows. This gives heifers more time to resume cyclicity after their first calf and before their second breeding season. From a producer perspective, it also allows you to focus your attention on the heifers during calving, minimizing calf losses due to calving difficulties. Together, these factors increase the chances of the heifers conceiving to AI in their second breeding season.  

Some producers may still choose to synchronize heifers and cows together to reduce the number of days that cattle are worked, labor required, or the times an AI technician needs to visit their operation. While this method can lead to pregnancy success, it’s important to remember that heifers might take longer to breed back in their second breeding season. 

Helpful Tools 

There are tools available to beef cattle producers to help keep track of the hormone administration schedule during estrus synchronization. Firstly, the estrus synchronization protocol sheets are a great resource to assist you in determining the protocol that works best for you.  Once you select your estrus synchronization protocol, you can download the Beef Reproduction Task Force’s Estrus Synch Planner. This tool generates a calendar with specific hormone names and required administration times based on your herd information. 

More Tips 

1. For the best pregnancy success, your females should be in a good body condition (5 or 6) before breeding and gaining condition. 
2. Stick to the recommended protocols on the protocol sheets published by the Beef Reproduction Task Force and administer the correct drug on the correct day. 
3. Herd health is also very important, so work with your veterinarian to set up a proper vaccination program. 
4. During the entire synchronization and AI process, try to minimize the stress on the animal, as it can result in reduced pregnancy rates. 
5. It’s important to manage your expectations for your first breeding season, as pregnancy rates might be lower than expected.  
   • Bear in mind that it’s the herds that have been utilizing AI for 5 or more years that consistently get the best pregnancy rates to AI.  

Starting an artificial insemination program doesn’t have to be overwhelming. At ABS, we want to be your partner in genetics and reproduction to help you achieve success. If you are looking to start implementing AI, contact your ABS Representative or complete the form below.