Collecting boar semen.

Sheath Area: If possible, trim the hair around the opening of his sheath. This will prevent any hair from getting caught in your hand while gripping the penis thus preventing you from extending the penis.

Approach: Once the boar is ready, approach him with ease. If you are right handed, ease down on his right side. If you are left handed, ease down on his left side. This approach enables you to use your strong hand to collect with and frees the other hand to help tail the boar if necessary. Try not to get anxious; relax and don't worry about getting out the collection container until the boar is extended and ready to ejaculate.

Gently massage sheath area back and forth (head to tail) until he starts. This is especially important for young boars who have had no exposure to breeding and are not quite sure what happens next.

Squeeze out all of the excess sheath fluid. This is extremely important! This fluid contains bacteria, dirt, and potential disease problems. You don't want any of these in your collection. Any excess that is not expelled can leak out and run down penis into the thermos or if a boar moves while you're collecting, the excess fluid can be forced out. If any does get into the collection, you should dispose of the collection and not use it.

To maximize the strength in your arm and hand, use a palmsdown and closed-fist approach. Using a clean, bare hand is easier in grasping penis; but once you've gained confidence in collecting, you should use rubber gloves to provide a sterile collection and to prevent any spreading of disease from boar to boar. When you approach the boar's penis, remember to use your hand grip in attempting to simulate a sow's vagina and cervix - start with back pressure and a gentle grip. The key is to grasp the curls at the end of the penis in such a way (across the curls - like nuts and bolts) to stop them rotating as if he was locking into cervix. When this is accomplished, he will simultaneously thrust out to extend and you will gently pull to accommodate him in this process. Never allow your grip to relax enough to allow him to rotate his curl once he is extended. This means to him that he is not locked into cervix and the whole process will have to start over again.

Once you have his penis extended and he has started to ejaculate clear, gel-like fluids; reach for your collection container. Do not collect any of this first clear or watery fraction of ejaculation. A creamy, white or sperm-rich fraction will follow. Collect this portion since it contains the most concentrated amount of sperm. Depending on how many doses you need from the boar, you can decide what portions of the alternating phases of sperm-rich and clear fluid of the ejaculate you want to collect. Collect all fractions subsequent to the discarded first clear fraction if you need to make as many doses as possible. Collect just the sperm-rich fractions when you need only a few doses. Remember that there are usually breed differences in ejaculate volume and concentration. Yorkshires generally ejaculate a larger volume in lower concentration, Durocs ejaculate smaller volumes and higher concentration, while Hampshire and other breeds are usually somewhere in between.

The boar will generally go through two to three cycles during ejaculation, taking five to fifteen minutes to complete the process. As you train the boar, it is very important to attempt to have him go through several cycles if you want the maximum semen produced during each collection. His penis will usually relax when he is finished. Attempt to help him develop good habits during the collection process - bad habits are hard to break.

Again, as emphasized earlier, use a positive approach when handling your boar. Treat him with respect and have patience.

Questions and answers.