AI

1. Artificial Insemination (AI) in
Poultry

2. Definition
• Introducing male germ cells (Spermatozoa)
into the female reproductive tract by
mechanical is known as AI
• More popular in turkeys and Broiler breeders
• because of their heavy body weight and broad
breast.

3. CHARACTERISTICS OF POULTRY SEMEN
• Semen production – 16 weeks
• 22-24 weeks of age are used for semen
collection.
• natural colour of semen is white or pearly
white.
• Heavy breed male - 0.75 to 1 ml
• light breed male - 0.4 to 0.6 ml of semen

4. • AI well developed in cattle.
• no standard technique is available to store
poultry semen for a long period.
• semen diluents at 1 : 2 ratio.
• One cock – 5-10 hens

5. • A male can be used thrice in a week for semen
collection with a gap of one day.
• Although every day semen collection will not
change the fertilizing capacity but the volume
of semen will be low.
• Semen consists of spermatozoa and seminal
plasma.
• Fowl semen is generally highly concentrated
(3 to 8 billion spermatozoa per ml for broiler
fowl).

6. Equipment Required
• glass or plastic test tube for collecting semen
from the male.
• hypodermic syringe with 0.1 ml graduations.
• a rubber connection (bicycle valve rubber).
• and a 0.5 cm external diameter glass
inseminating tube 9 cm in length.
• Large flask to hold water at 180 C to 200 C
range for short time holding of semen.

7. Equipments

8. STEPS IN A.I
• semen collection
• semen dilution
• and insemination.

9. Semen collection
• Chicken, turkeys, guinea fowl, quail can be
done by abdominal massage method.
• Invented by Burrows and Quinn in 1935 and
1937.

13. Handling of hen
• In left hand both the legs of hen are gasped
and cloaca is inverted and then with the help
of syringe 0.1ml of semen is deposited in
vagina.

15. Semen evaluation
• To acces the fertilizability of spermatozoa &
also to fix dilution rate to ensure AI.
• Color: must be pearly white
yellow --- faecal contamination
brownish red – presence of RBC
Good semen is white in color , thick, and has a
pH of 7.3-7.8

16. Semen concentration
• It is assesed by either automatic counter
( spermatocrit) or by the transmittence
(spectrometris).
• To count live & dead sperms : flourecent
technique.
• To acces spermatozoa integrity: by staining
technique ( eosine negrosine)

17. • Dilution
•
• Temperature : 1 to 2 Oc
• Dilution ratio : 1:2 or 1:4
• Dose of insemination : 0.03-0.05 ml or 20-25 million
sperms/dose
• Frequency of AI : Once or twice in a week
• The semen may be diluted with a solution known as modified
Ringer's solution.
• The composition of this solution is as follows:
• Sodium chloride 68 grams
• Potassium chloride 17.33 grams
• Calcium chloride 6.4 2 grams
• Magnesium sulphate 2.50 grams
• Sodium bicarbonate 24.50 grams
• Distilled water 10 000 cc

18. Placement of semen
• Semen is inseminated with the syringe or AI
pippette inserted 3cm depth in chicken & 6cm
in length in turkey in the vaginal opening.
• It is highly desirable that AI is performed with
in 30 mins of collection of semen.
• Time of AI – 2 to 4 Pm