AI breeder

[ez14.]

Hello everyone been a couple years since I've been around here!

I have recently been talking with a company about becoming a part time AI breeder and they asked how much I would need to get paid to come work for them but I have no idea what a fair pay would be.

So it would start out as just breeding 1 farm for now as they are trying to build up a customer base in the area to hire a full-time breeder but they don't have the customers yet for that. It's a farm milking 300 cows with robots and there would be no heat detection with the cows I'd just be breeding off of the collars. However they keep their heifers at another location about 20 minutes away and they would require heat detection. The company would like to pay me a set price for each farm that I end up breeding at and the pay per farm would depend on the number of cows

Now I have taken a AI course and done a small amount of breeding but it's been about 4 or 5 years since I've bred anything but they will bring me on to a farm that they already breed at for a couple weeks to get me back in the loop before I go to the new farm

So with all that being said what do you guys think would be a fair wage to ask for this breeding job? (They would also pay my mileage for getting there)

 

[Son of Butch]

How long would it take to identify, sort, catch and breed 1 cow?
300 cows x 1.5 services = 450 breedings per year div by 365 days = 1.24 services per day
IF it takes 43 minutes 12 seconds to arrive, identify, sort, catch, breed and return 1 cow to the herd then $25 hr = $18 per service
$24 per service = $33.30 hr
$22 per service = $31.25 hr
$20 per service = $27.75 hr
$12 per service = $16.65 hr
Will you also be paid a percentage commission on any semen used?
Does $22 for 1st service, 1 free repeat service and $12 for 3rd service cows if needed seem fair?

 

[50/50Farms]

How long would it take to identify, sort, catch and breed 1 cow?
300 cows x 1.5 services = 450 breedings per year div by 365 days = 1.24 services per day
IF it takes 43 minutes 12 seconds to arrive, identify, sort, catch, breed and return 1 cow to the herd then $25 hr = $18 per service
$22 per service = $31.25 hr
$20 per service = $27.75 hr
$12 per service = $16.65 hr
Will you also be paid a percentage commission from any semen used?
Does $22 for 1st service, 1 free repeat service and $12 for 3rd service cows if needed seem fair?

I think that's fair math and good business, you're a smart fellow for doing 2nd free, 3rd for charge in your draft.

 

[wbvs58]

Hopefully you will get in the swing of things with a couple weeks practice under their supervision. I think it is a case of you will either sink or swim. Relatively you are a novice at it from what you describe as your experience. I think they are taking a big chance with you. I would not like to be paying someone with little experience to deal with my herd. There is a big difference doing a few of your own to doing it on a commercial basis. I find I am lost when I try to AI for friends in different working facilities.
Best of luck with it, I hope you adapt.

Ken

 

[TCRanch]

I got nuthin' because I'm 100% bulls. But welcome back!!!

 

[TwoByrdsMG]

Will they be able to sync the heifers or are you doing 100% natural heat detection?

 

[Dsth]

are you doing the heat detection on the heifers or what are they doing for heat detection? are you responsible for restraining the cows and heifers? will you be breeding twice a day or once? I agree with @wbvs58 that you will either sink or swim. AI breeding (like many other occupations) seems easy when someone that is good at it makes it look easy. Ask the AI company what they are paying their other techs for breeding service or just paying on semen used. I would start at the lower end of their pay scale until you can comfortably say that AI breeding is something you are good at and your conception rate meets or exceeds your costumers' expectations. good luck and hope AI works out well for you if that is your dream job.

 

[Aero]

I generally don't look at market rates first. Figure out what you need to be paid to be happy doing the work they want - this is the minimum. Then find out what market rates are and go from there. Generally, if I get market rates first, I talk myself into thinking that is good enough. Any business deal worth doing has to be a good deal for both sides.

 

[moses388]

The company would like to pay me a set price for each farm that I end up breeding at and the pay per farm would depend on the number of cows

I have heard of companies paying a daily flat-rate, but it was not based on the number of cows/heifers serviced. I have heard of flat-rates from $80 to $120 per day. The mileage reimbursement is a bonus.
...It's not a Monday thru Friday job, but you can arrange your holidays/time-off with the farm.

 

[Lucky_P]

Girl who was doing AI for the public in Giles Co., TN, back ~1988, when we first started using some AI sires, was getting $10 a pop for arm service + cost of semen... don't think she was even charging a trip fee at the time. I'm sure she charges more 30+ years later. She was still doing it back in the early 2000s, 'cause one of the boys from Robt. Elliott & Sons Angus (Clarksville TN area) told me she'd been to their place to breed a big group of synchronized cows, and averaged about a minute and a half per cow. He was impressed.

Googled her up and there's a business page, Buzzfile, that has business info on her, suggesting she's still in business... and indicating her 2021 income from her AI service was just over $26K, annually. IDK where they got that info, or how reliable that is, but she always had a whole bunch of irons in the fire, from breeding show-quality sheep to managing the family's beef herd.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

My current ai tech charges $7/hd. 1 or dozens. Comes out morning and/or afternoon. No way he's making enough. Mostly breeding for dairies.

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

The dairy where I bought my bottle Jersey, an employee of the dairy mentioned he was the AI tech.
I said, So, in a way, you are her dad.

I'd like to use a straw of Oliver-P, a world famous sire. Maybe I could hire him to out come out to my place, giver her the hormones then come back when she's bulling.

i suppose they have sexed semen..

 

[Bestoutwest]

I think I paid $100/hd for the guy to drive out and stick my cows. This was 2 years ago, though. I can't remember which company he worked for.

 

[ez14.]

Well I've been breeding in the morning for a month now and had the first herd health this week. The heifers were good had about a 75% concept rate. The cows were pretty bad but most of them were actually on a timed AI and I've been talking with the farmer about their shot protocol because there seems to be a problem with them not actually cycling on their shots so hopefully we can get that figured out and get a good conception rate on them as well

 

[farmerjan]

Great to see a foolowup from you. That is pretty darn good conception for the heifers.... proves you are doing it right...
So the problems with the cows definitely sounds like the protocols... sure hope you get it worked out.

What else are you up to????? How's the weather out there????

 

[ez14.]

Great to see a foolowup from you. That is pretty darn good conception for the heifers.... proves you are doing it right...
So the problems with the cows definitely sounds like the protocols... sure hope you get it worked out.

What else are you up to????? How's the weather out there????

Got lots going on lol. Working on a beef farm and breeding dairy cows in the morning. Also welding and selling different rodeo equipment and hoping to expand that and grow into other areas (I have sold bucking barrels all the way to California now so that's cool) and trying to rodeo as much as possible. And hoping to be completely self employed by the end of the year

 

[Mountaintown Creek Ranch]

We do all the setup, move the cattle and heat sync. Then we pay a vet to shoot the really expensive stuff.
I think it's about $75 which is crazy cheap considering he has an hour drive.
But I want to do it !!! However my left hand has issues from a side by side wreck and I get really nervous .
I am great one day ...the next I can't even feel the cervix.
We have 3 cows setup for 8 am this morning, the semen is about $1,800 per straw. Mayura L10 from Australia.

 

[Son of Butch]

$1,800 per straw = embryos?

 

[Mountaintown Creek Ranch]

No.... just straws.

 

[Son of Butch]

Spendy for just one service, at that price thought you'd be trying for multipole conceptions.