Friday, June 24, 2016

And The Saga Continues....

Okay, at this point in this whole breeding season...I just have to laugh. If I don't...I'm gonna cry!!

So, breeding manager texts and says that she got one semen shipment delivered, but the second one wasn't. The vet will be at her place about noon to breed.

I call the stallion owners in Utah and get the tracking number for their container of semen.

I call Fedex to find out where the semen is and Fedex says it's on the truck, in route to delivery.


Now...When it's said like that...Wouldn't you take it to mean that is was on a LOCAL Fedex truck, who is making deliveries on their LOCAL route?

So, at 11:30, I load up Scamper and Frenchie and head to the breeding facility.

Upon arrival, I find out that the 2nd semen package still has not arrived. I call the local Fedex place to see if they can direct me to the route driver. No can do. I am routed back to the automated version.

Meanwhile, I notice that Scamper has something that looks like blood on the front of her flymask. I pull the flymask and the goofy cow has managed to bash her eye open.

I think I forgot to mention that the first time I hauled her over to the breeding facility I put her in the trailer by herself and when I got there and opened the door I was greeted by gushing blood. Somehow Scamper managed to bash her left eye socket (above the eye) open. It was ugly. Like needed stitches ugly. I guess Scamper doesn't like being hauled alone.

Well, now she has matching gashes over each eye. I told that goofy cow that as a broodmare she really only needs one eye, so if she was going to wreck herself, please restrict the damage to one side. Well, at least this time she didn't need sewed up.

We put Frenchie in the stocks and while the vet is cleaning her up in preparation for AIing, I take the opportunity to visit with him a little bit about why NONE of my mares have settled. I could tell the vet was a little uncomfortable at first, having this discussion. Obviously, this time of year, in my area, it's getting awful late to be breeding. I mean, mid-May foals are about as late as anybody really wants because after that...It starts getting hot and buggy. By now, those of us that have mares that have not settled are starting to get a bit frantic. The vet admitted that at this point, he's starting to feel the pressure as well. Quite honestly, he didn't have any clear cut answers about why NONE of my AIed mares settled. I mean, one I can understand. Two? That's a little iffy, but not one of the 3 settled and that...Well, that adds up to $1,250 in shipping fees ALONE! That does not include HIS charges, or the boarding fees when the mares needed to stay.

In the end, I don't think I really learned anything outstanding, but I'm not the only one who has had mares not settle on the first try. The breeding manager at the barn is also re-breeding mares that didn't settle and the vet himself is still struggling to get one of his personal mares bred. Actually, the stallion owners I talked to didn't seem upset at all that I was calling for more semen. They are still shipping to numerous people, mostly re-breeds.

By this time, Frenchie has been bred and the 2nd semen still has not arrived. I left the mares at the breeding facility and headed to the nearest Fedex location to find out where the hell my shipment was. Scamper's follicle had grown overnight, but was starting to lose shape. She either needed to get bred immediately, or it wouldn't matter. She was going to ovulate soon.

Well, guess where my semen was?

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE!!!

Sonava!!!!

The 'trying very hard to be nice' lady at the counter just kept saying, 'We experienced some mechanical problems (I assume that actually means...We temporarily lost your package) and your shipment will be here tomorrow by 10am.'.

I stepped away from the counter to call the stallion owner and she was very gracious about the frantic tone in my voice. She told me that when the package arrived tomorrow to refuse to accept it because it was 24 hours late and then it would be returned to her and she would file a claim with Fedex for a refund. That means I don't have to pay $250 for semen I cannot use. Whew!!

So I got back in line and told the lady that they could just reroute the package back to sender because we would not be accepting delivery on it. THAT is when she got a little huffy. She tried to tell me that is not possible and I would get my package tomorrow.

By now, my brain is just fried and I told her in a very loud voice, with a room full of people that the package contained SEMEN!! And the intended target for that SEMEN would have already ovulated by the time it got there and we all KNOW that once ovulation happens, conception does not!! So therefore 24 hours doesn't work when you are trying to make babies!!

OMG!! I so needed to see the looks of horror on people's faces. Since I did not specify that it was animal semen, I assume they thought it was for ME!!!! Hahahahahahaha


Sooooo....Now the waiting game starts all over again!

14 days until we know if Frenchie took and starting all over again with Scamper.

On the way home, I decided that I am just going to take her to Utah to get bred. I am so over this running back and forth and back and forth.

What I'll do is just take her to Utah next week and leave her there until she checks in with an embryo. That was my original plan and it just got sidetracked after she ovulated early. I told the stallion owners, I don't really care if her foal is super late or not, but I really, really need her to have one. That foal is for my personal herd so the only thing being born late in the year might affect is it's racing potential. Talking with the stallion owner, he said that even then it's not a deal breaker. They have foals that are born late too or don't develop until later, so they just wait and race them when they are 3y/os. I really like the sounds of these people. I'm actually anxious to meet them and get to see First Prize Stone in person. I so wished I would have just gone ahead and loaded Scamper up and hauled to them last month. I just never dreamed this breeding season would turn into such a goddamn fiasco.

At this point, all I can do is hope Frenchie took this time and hope that once Scamper is delivered to Utah that she will settle on the first try for those people. It will be a 1st part of June foal at the earliest, but that is better than no foal at all!! :-/.

5 comments:

TeresaA said...

wow. that sounds like a real ordeal.

A friend of mine also yelled at a Fedex person over the very same thing.

BrownEyed Cowgirl said...

It happens more frequently that a person would like to think. Fedex is not nearly as reliable as one would hope. Unfortunately, it's about the only way you can ship.

I was telling a friend the ordeal this has become and she made the mistake of saying, 'Maybe it just isn't meant to be this year'. My eyes glazed over and I know I got a mulish look on my face when I told her...That mare IS having a baby next year!! LOL. Now I am just pissed off and determined to make it happen. Haha

Shirley said...

Good grief!
I sure hope for the sake of your sanity that both these mares deliver you happy healthy foals next year!
Bit I did get a chuckle out of the SEMEN explanation!

Cut-N-Jump said...

What a pain in the ass. I bet the people in the Fed Ex branch got a LOT more than they bargained for that day! Hahaha. Its kind of like those dinner table discussions that we blow off like its nothing, only to look over at the next table in the restaurant and everyone has suddenly stopped eating or completely lost their appetite! Pure Gold

Unknown said...

Well for Pete's sake. She didn't have a leg to get huffy on. :) And I went and had a peek at First Prize Stone. Yowza, is he gorgeous! Lovely lovely stud.