4
Goal
Using springs for the sows' self-insemination.
Description
This trick consists in using a spring for holding the semen bags so the worker's hands are free to stimulate the sow and to check the 'dubious' sows. The spring provides the right tension for the bag, lacks enough tensile strength to avoid a good hold of the catheter and, at the same time, keeps the bag in an optimal position for a correct self-insemination of the sow. On the other hand, the location of the bag at a certain height allows for the control of the insemination from a distance.
We must have a wire stretched lengthwise at a height of 120-150 cm over the rear of the crates in which inseminations are performed. The farms normally have this kind of wires because they use them to hang each sow's individual information cards.
We can use a thin wire because it will not have to bear great weights. The spring must have a small peg on each end to hold the different kinds of semen doses: bags or tubes. After inserting the catheter in the sow and attaching the container with the semen dose, we must hold the spring to the wire with one of the pegs and then hold the dose to the peg located on the other end of the spring. Once the self-insemination has ended, we will unhook the spring and use it for the next sows.
