Laparoscopic artificial insemination of white-tailed deer with fresh sex-sorted semen

Nicole Sugai; Clifford Shipley; Lindsey Rothrock-Gensler; Robyn Ellerbrock; Jamie Stewart

doi:10.58292/CT.v16.10513

Nicole Sugai Department of Large Animal Clinical Medicine, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
Clifford Shipley Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
Lindsey Rothrock-Gensler Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
Robyn Ellerbrock Department of Large Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
Jamie Stewart Department of Large Animal Clinical Medicine, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA

DOI: https://doi.org/10.58292/CT.v16.10513

Keywords: Cervids, flow cytometry, sex-sorted semen, white-tailed deer

Abstract

This case study describes the feasibility of using chilled, sex-sorted semen for laparoscopic artificial insemination (AI) in the captive white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) industry. Ejaculates from 3 bucks were collected, extended, and shipped overnight for flow cytometric sex-sorting. Sex-sorted semen was chilled and shipped back overnight. Synchronized does were bred using chilled, sex-sorted (n = 30, farm 1; n = 10, farm 2) or conventional frozen (n = 7, farm 2) semen by laparoscopic AI. Does were subsequently turned out with bucks. Percentage of bucks born via AI with sex-sorted semen was 85% (28/33) for farm 1 and 100% (16/16) for farm 2. Percentage of bucks born by natural cover was 50% (12/24) for farm 1 and percentage of bucks born by using either conventional semen or live cover was 56% (9/14) for farm 2. This case study demonstrated acceptable results using chilled, sex-sorted semen in white-tailed deer herds as a technique to manipulate the sex proportions per breeding season.

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