Artificial insemination in poultry

The use of artificial insemination in chickens, as in turkeys, can improve fertility; however, the cost of implementing AI on a large scale is often cost prohibitive. As managing commercial broiler breeders to maximize fertility becomes more challenging, the use of AI in commercial poultry operations is becoming more common and will likely continue. If costs go down, its commercial implementation will increase. Collecting semen from a chicken or turkey is done by stimulating the copulatory organ (the phallus) to protrude by massaging the abdomen and the back over the testes. This is followed quickly by pushing the tail anteriorly with one hand and, at the same time, using the thumb and forefinger of the same hand to apply pressure in the cloacal area to “milk” semen from the ducts of the phallus. The semen flow response is quicker and easier to stimulate in chickens than in turkeys. The semen may be collected with an aspirator (turkeys) or in a small tube or any cup-like container.