Despite the practice of spiking flocks with younger males, reproductive problems increasingly impact the capability of flock managers to produce needed chicks and increase the cost of chick production. The problem also impacts breeders and producers using artificial insemination (AI). Recognizing that the problem is partially caused by poor semen quality, flock managers might consider evaluatio...

the aim of the present research was to study the effect of different concentrations of rosemary (rosmarinus officinalis l.) extract, (0, 10, 12.5, 16.6, 25 and 50) mg/l added to semen extender, on sperm qualitative and quantitative parameters after freezing-thawing process of rooster sperm. 10 ross strain rooster were used. semen samples were collected, 2 times a week. after adding the samples ...

The sperm quality index (SQI) is a tool used to predict overall rooster semen quality, fertility, and hatchability. However, semen must be diluted before SQI analysis, and research has shown that the SQI is most predictive of fertility at lower semen dilutions. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to determine why the SQI is not as predictive of fertility at higher semen dilutions and wh...

Semen cryopreservation is necessary for banking germplasm from critical poultry stocks. To date, glycerol is the most effective cryoprotectant for poultry sperm; however, the contraceptive effects of glycerol require a significant reduction of the cryoprotectant from thawed semen before artificial insemination (AI). The effectiveness of glycerol reduction by dialysis, Percoll density gradient c...

A new instrument for assessing mammalian semen attributes, the Sperm Quality Analyzer, was evaluated as a potential tool for determining rooster sperm quality. The Sperm Quality Analyzer measures the “activity” of sperm in a semen sample as the sperm motility index (SMI). The SMI is defined as the number and amplitude of deflections in a light path per second as a result of sperm movement wit...

Chicken seminal plasma contains a high content of sex steroids including progesterone (P4). According to a published study, in vitro supplementation of P4 to the semen resulted in decreased fertility in the White Leghorn chicken; however, it is not known if increased P4 production in vivo is associated with decreased sperm fertility. Therefore, the aim of the present experiment was to study the...