The Effect of Dilution and Concentration of Chicken Semen on Fertility

IN ARTIFICIAL insemination of poultry it would be of considerable practical value if semen could be diluted without a decrease in fertility. Any resulting decrease could be the result of either (1) a reduction in sperm concentration and/or sperm number or (2) harmful effects from the diluent used. In investigations on this subject with chickens and turkeys, two general approaches have been used. These have been repeated insemination and a single insemination of each bird. As regards investigations in which repeated insemination was used, Bonnier and Trulsson (1939) inseminated hens 4 to 7 times per week and found little difference in fertility from undiluted semen versus semen diluted 1 to 3 and 1 to 10 with a modified Ringer’s solution; there was, however, a decline in fertility from semen diluted 1 to 50. Gordon and Phillips (1951) inseminated hens weekly and obtained better results when semen was diluted 1 to . . .