The Effect of Different Diluents and Dilution Rates on Fertilizing Capacity of Turkey Semen

INTRODUCTION THE use of artificial insemination to improve fertility of turkeys is increasing steadily. Dilution of the semen seems to be the most obvious approach for making a more efficient use of the spermatozoa collected. Although various diluents have been tried with cock semen, little work has been reported on turkey semen diluents and on the extent to which the semen can be diluted. It should also be pointed out that often no statistical analysis was made even when small numbers were used. The experiment presented here was designed to test the effect of diluting the semen on fertility and duration of fertility of hens. EXPERIMENTAL One hundred and thirty-three Empire White hens were housed in 13 pens. Two pens contained 9 hens each, one pen 15 hens and the other pens 10 hens each. The hens were trap-nested daily and the eggs dated and stored at 50°–55°F. Eggs . . .