Holding Equipment for Artificial Insemination of Goats

Taiwan Livestock Research Institute
Heng-Chun Branch Institute,
Heng-Chung, Pingtung, Taiwan, ROC
Tel: 886-8-8861341 Fax: 886-8-8861345
E-mail: aksu@mail.tlri.gov.tw, 2003-06-01

Dairy goat production has expanded in Taiwan during the last decade. In the past, raisers of dairy goats in Taiwan used the traditional method of breeding their does with a buck. In order to increase the milk production of does, a high-quality pedigree buck could be sold for a very high price. There were not enough high-quality bucks for all dairy farms, and also inbreeding affected the productivity of the herds.

Ai in Goat Production

Artificial insemination was introduced in order to solve these two problems. When the artificial insemination program for dairy goats first began, two strong men or women were needed to hold the doe so that the artificial insemination probe could penetrate its vagina. Although the goat needed to be held down for only five minutes or so, the goat suffered from stress while the workers often became exhausted. It takes a great deal of energy to hold down an active fifty-kilogram mature goat.

Steel Stand for Doe

A dairy goat farmer in Taiwan, Mr. Wang Gar Shou, developed a steel stand (Fig. 1) to hold the doe during artificial insemination. It was based on the design of artificial pig semen collection rack.

The rack holds the doe firm, and raises its back legs (Fig. 2). Only one worker is needed to carry out the artificial insemination. The goat is held down with soft rubber straps, to prevent injury if it struggles.

Use of this stand when carrying out artificial insemination on goat farms reduces the stress suffered by does, and enables a single person to do the work. A further improvement now under development is to fit a hydraulic system to raise the hind legs of the doe.

This technology was developed by the Farmer Mr. Wang Gar Shou, of the Ho Gung Dairy Goat Farm

Tel: 886-7-6976904

Index of Images

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  Figure 1 Metal Stand to Hold Does for Artificial Inseminatiion

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  Figure 2 Dairy Goat Prepared for Artificial Insemination

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