The Technique of Electroejaculation and Its Use in Dairy Bulls

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Abstract
Electrical stimulus was delivered to bulls by a bipolar rectal probe with 6 ring electrodes in an effort to obtain semen. The stimulus was 60 cycle current of approximately .5-1 amp. and 10-15 volts at the peak. One hundred and eleven collections of semen were made from 18 bulls. The average volume per collection of the sperm-containing fractions was 12.3 ml with a range of 1-35 ml. The concentration of the spermatozoa ranged from very low to 1.27 billion/ml in an almost inverse relationship to volume. Nine of the bulls were in artificial insemination centers and were unwilling or unable to serve an artificial vagina. The semen obtained by electroejaculation was used to inseminate 2267 first service cows resulting in a 60-90 day non-return rate of 59.4%. This was nearly equal to the previous year''s conception rate when the semen was collected by an artificial vagina. One normal bull was electroejaculated once weekly for a total of 30 weeks. Electroejaculation did not adversely affect the semen or the bull. Electroejaculation may serve as a valuable adjunct to the artificial vagina in collecting semen. Description of equipment technique and results are given.