Cornell Resources about Reproduction in Small Ruminants
Reproduction
Introduction to out of season breeding and synchronizing heats in small ruminants
Using the EAZI-Breed CIDR-G for Out-of-Season Breeding in Ewes (PDF) by Dr. Keith Inskeep - This document provides the basis for using progesterone CIDRs (controlled internal drug releasing devices) to synchronize estrus or to start the reproductive cycles of ewes that may not be cycling during spring, when daylength is increasing.
Reproductive results from breeding our milking ewes in March-April and June have been dramatically better than those reported in this paper. That may be due to the exposure of the ewes to vasectomized rams about 10 days prior to the insertion of CIDRs.
Out Of Season Breeding in Goats by Dr. tatiana Stanton - while originally written for meat goats it contains lots of information on standard practices in dairy goats and sheep
Cornell Sheep Dairy Protocols for synchronization and out of season breeding in sheep
Artificial Insemination in Small Ruminants
Goat Artificial Insemination Video Course 11 video series funded in part by Univ. of Maine, Cornell University, Cornell Coop. Ext. of St. Lawrence County and Northeast SARE (Project One19-377)
Goat AI supplemental handout- Dr. James Weber DVM supplemental 17-page guide for the above course covering heat synchronization, mucus evaluation, buck collection, semen evaluation & processing, etc.
Artificial Insemination Manual for Goats by Dr. Terry Gipson, PhD and Dr. Lionel Dawson, DVM - 54 page manual originally prepared by the American Institute for Goat Research for workshops in Kenya and Malawi and now used in U.S. courses.
Goat Repro Videos - Dr. Terry Gipson & Dr. Lou Nuti: Hands-on AI 9 min, AI Kit 6 min, Buck Effect 6 min, Estrus Synchronization 5 min, Semen Tank Handling 6 min, Signs of Estrus 35 sec
Vaginal Method for Sheep AI using chilled ram semen by Dr. Jim Weber, DVM, PhD, Univ. of Maine - based on method used in Iceland - details from Thorstein Olafsson, Aug 2017)
Semen Processing in Goats by Dr. Lou Nuti, International Dairy Goat Center, Prairie View A & M - an older manual but still helpful as an introduction
How to make an artificial vaginal for bucks and rams
Basics of collecting a ram or buck
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Upcoming Events
2026 Multi-Species Pasture Walk at the Vanstrom Homestead
June 20, 2026 : 2026 Multi-Species Pasture Walk at the Vanstrom Homestead
Kennedy, NY
Our team is partnering with Chautauqua Co Soil and Water, WNY Crop Mangement, and the Vanstrom Homestead to bring you a pasture walk and hands-on workshop series. Topics include multi-species grazing, forage sampling/results interpretation, soil sampling/results interpretation, and a high tensile fence installment.
Fecal Egg Count Mobile Workshops Summer 2026 - Cornell Lake Erie Research & Extension Laboratory (Portland, NY)
June 23, 2026
Portland, NY
Amy Barkley, Livestock Specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension's Southwest New York Dairy, Livestock & Field Crops Program (SWNYDLFC) will be teaching a series of fecal egg count mobile workshops for those who are interested in the internal parasite challenges affecting sheep, goats, llamas, and alpacas.
Fecal Egg Count Mobile Workshops Summer 2026 - CCE Allegany County (Belmont, NY)
June 24, 2026
Belmont, NY
Amy Barkley, Livestock Specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension's Southwest New York Dairy, Livestock & Field Crops Program (SWNYDLFC) will be teaching a series of fecal egg count mobile workshops for those who are interested in the internal parasite challenges affecting sheep, goats, llamas, and alpacas.
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