VETERINARY RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL

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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Promoting Fertility in Crossbred Chicken by Artificial Insemination
R. Prabhakar1*, M. Priyadharshini2, M. Moorthy3 and S.C. Edwin4
1*
Assistant Professor, Sheep Breeding Research Station, Sandynallah, The Nilgiris-643237, India.
2
M.V.Sc Scholar, Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences,
Mannuthy, Thrissur, Kerala-680651, India.
3
Department of Poultry Science, Veterinary College and Research Institute, Namakkal-637002, India.
4
Instructional Livestock Farm Complex, Veterinary College and Research Institute, Tirunelveli-627358, India.

*
Corresponding Author:
R. Prabhakar
Email: prabhakaranbu@gmail.com
Received: 05/05/2020
Accepted: 25/05/2020
Abstract
An experiment was conducted in crossbred chicken to study the
fertility rate by artificial insemination. Ten adult crossbred males and eighty
crossbred females of thirty weeks age were used for the experiment. Semen
was collected two times a week and inseminated into laying hens.
Insemination was performed weekly twice and eggs were collected after
third day of first insemination. A total of 405 eggs were collected and
incubated. Among that, 347 chicks hatched and 58 eggs were unhatched. In
those 58 eggs, 43 confirmed fertile by break-opening of eggs. So 96.30% of
fertility was observed by artificial insemination technique. Therefore
artificial insemination can be used to improve the number of chicks born
and fertility percentage in crossbred and backyard chickens where there is
shortfall of good and viable cocks.

Keywords: Chicken, Semen, Artificial insemination, Crossbred birds,

Fertility.
1. Introduction Immediately after semen collection it was
Large-scale production of hatching eggs is the inseminated (Fig 1) into all the laying hens. Artificial
primary goal of the poultry breeder industry. Profitable insemination was performed in the late afternoon, when
poultry farming depends on quality chick, feed and most of the laying hens had already laid their egg for
good management. Many hatcheries rear their own the day as suggested by Donoghue et al. (1995);
parent stock in cages where artificial insemination is Brillard (2003).
commonly practiced for the production of commercial
layer and broiler chicks. This technique of artificial
insemination (AI) has the advantage that one cockerel
can be used to inseminate 20 to 30 hens; while in
natural mating one cockerel can be utilized for 8 to 10
hens. Hens can lay a series of fertilized eggs over a
period of 7 to 10 days following a single insemination.
The use of AI will reduce the cost of production of day-
old chicks.

2. Materials and Methods

Ten adult crossbred males and eighty crossbred
females of thirty weeks age were used for the
experiment. Male birds were caged individually and
handled (trained) before start of experiment in order to
stimulate erectile and ejaculatory responses to the
abdominal massage method (Burrows and Quinn, 1937;
Lake, 1957).
Semen was collected two times a week
following the method as described by Kelso et al.
(1996). Each adult male was gently picked up and one
person hold the legs and another person collects the
semen discharge after gently massaging the lumbar
region of the bird 3-4 times with the hand. The semen
was milked down by firm finger pressure on either side
of the vent into the collecting tube.
Fig 1: Insemination of laying hens.
The insemination was performed weekly twice.
The eggs were collected after third and fourth day of
first insemination. The eggs were collected, and stored
in the egg holding room at the hatchery. After
fumigation, the eggs were set and incubated for four
days in the hatchery and incubated eggs were break
opened to confirm fertility which was identified with
the presence of blood ring (Biswas et al., 2009).

Veterinary Research International | April-June, 2020 | Volume 08 | Issue 02 | Pages 140-141

© 2020 Jakraya
 Prabhakar et al...Promoting Fertility in Crossbred Chicken By Artificial Insemination

Number of fertile eggs

Fertility % age = X 100
Total number of eggs set

3. Results and Discussion

A total of 405 eggs were collected for a week
period and incubated. After the incubation period,
chicks were pulled out from hatchers. Totally 347
chicks hatched and 58 eggs were unhatched. In those
58 eggs, 43 found to be fertile during break-opening of
eggs by the presence of blood rings (Fig 2) and 15 eggs
were infertile. So 96.30% of fertility was observed by
artificial insemination technique. By doing AI, male:
female ratio can increase from 1:10 from natural
mating to 1:25 with AI; with fewer males needed, there
would be greater selection pressure on the male traits of
economic importance and subsequently greater genetic Fig 2: Presence of blood rings in fertile eggs.
advancement per generation. Biosecurity concerns
associated with “spiking” aging hen flocks with new 4. Conclusion
and/or younger males to augment mating frequency and Therefore artificial insemination can be used to
fertility would be eliminated and differences in body improve the fertility percentage and number of chicks
conformation between males and females that impact born in crossbred and backyard chickens where there is
semen transfer at mating would no longer be a shortfall of good and viable cocks. So this is an
consideration. Artificial insemination can greatly important and convenient tool in improving the
enhance the fertility in crossbred birds which would be standard of backyard poultry rearing farmers.
highly economical for backyard poultry farmers.

References
Bakst MR and Dymond JS (2013). Success in artificial
insemination - Quality of semen and diagnostics
employed. Artificial Insemination in Poultry, Published
by Intech. pp. 14.
Biswas A, Mohan J and Sastry KVH (2009). Effect of higher
dietary vitamin E concentrations on physical and
biochemical characteristics of semen in Kadaknath
cockerels. British Poultry Science, 50: 733-738.
Brillard JP (2003). Practical aspects of fertility in poultry.
World’s Poultry Science Journal, 59: 441-446.
Burrows WH and Quinn JP (1937). The collection of
spermatozoa from the domestic fowl and turkey.
Poultry Science, 16: 19-24.
Donoghue AM, Garner DL, Donoghue DJ and Johnson LA
(1995). Viability assessment of turkey sperm using
fluorescent staining and flow cytometry. Poultry
Science, 74: 1191-1200.
Kelso KA, Cerolini S, Noble RC, Sparks NHC and Speake
BK (1996). Lipid and antioxidant changes in semen of
broiler fowl from 25 to 60 weeks of age. Journal of
Reproduction and Fertility, 106: 201-206.
Lake PE (1957). The male reproductive tract the fowl.
Journal of Anatomy, 91: 116-129.

Veterinary Research International | April-June, 2020 | Volume 08 | Issue 02 | Pages 140-141

© 2020 Jakraya
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