anyone doing artificial insemination with chickens?

[Mahonri]

Quote:
I suppose you could put it on ice.... slow the deterioration of the semen down.

 

[sebright guy]

i would just take your hen to your freinds rooster or visversa. he may be able to help you collect. me and my dad do it together. it takes time to learn. i would definatly give it a try. ours is working out just grand. we got about 20 cochin chicks this year all artificial insemination and i just started my sebrights and they are also getting fertile. good luck!!

 

[greathorse]

Sebright so it is one breedign (hen) per collection of the rooster or can you mate several hens. That would make a big difference for me

 

[scbatz33]

Quote:
I suppose you could put it on ice.... slow the deterioration of the semen down.

I think you would need to use dry ice. I know that is how horse, maybe cattle?, semen is usually shipped for AI. of course there are special canisters used as well.

 

[scbatz33]

Quote:
I'm not a super expert here, but I know with horses, you get several breedings since the AI straw is depositing the semen more directly than a live breeding would. I've seen it done in dairy cattle as well. One collection can be split a couple of times.

I know that that is the logic behind Overbrook Farm using AI for Storm Cat. He has retired from TB breeding where it has to be live breeding to AI collection where they can send multiple doses out.

I should think it would be the same for poultry. If the semen count is high, you should be able to split multiple hens. After all, you only need one!

 

[greathorse]

In cattle one collection can be extended and split many many times. I dont recall the number but lots. Bull semen is virtually always frozen and used in straws.

Horse fertility is still not very good with frozen semen. To my knowledge virtually all feritlity work with horses is done with chilled semen.The life is not very long, and one collection is extended and split maybe five or six times. I know there are huge differences from specie to specie. I just have no idea abouit poultry

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

One collection from one rooster can be used on multiple hens...

 

[sebright guy]

if you get a good collection you can easily do several hens. this is were an eyedropper is ideal. you just drop a little into each of the hens vents. a drop or two is good enough. we usually do two drops just to be sure. good luck!

 

[bawkbawkbawk]

On a lighter note, I did learn how to hypnotize a chicken with a pencil!!

Do tell!

 

[DANNY]

I just take a plastic spoon to collect. You can get a specimen and wait a little bit and get some more as many as 3 or 4 times. Like someone else posted just pull it up in an eye dropper and put it in a zip lock bag and put it in a cooler of ice and take it home. I don't know how long it will last just try it and see.