Genetics - Artificial Insemination... How do you do it...

[xoxocammyxoxo]

Quote:
Yeah I'm in the process of looking into this NPIP right now since it's been popping up a lot in our conversations recently

 

[Asils]

Hey friends, how to increase amount of cemons for old age bird. its very hard to do aritifical insemination of old age roosters

 

[Asils]

Friend how to increase amount of cemeons for this,,,,as old age roosters ceomns mostly very less in amount...!

 

[rdrdr]

Let's see.  I used to (last year) collect from 20-48 roos and inseminate 100-250 hens, 2x a week.  Thank goodness for the 3 ladies who helped.


I worked with big birds, and the thing I'm gonna have a hard time converting to my backyard flock is how to do it without help.  My DH loves me, but I'm fairly sure that might be pushing his tolerance for my love of animals.  The hens I can invert and inseminate myself (at least I'm fairly sure I can lol), but stroking the roos and catching the 'gold' with only my two hands will be interesting to say the very, very least.


On the spoon concept.  We caught the roo gold in plastic cups, and then used glass pipettes rigged up to plastic syringes.  The cups were nice because we mixed in extender because each roo had to cover 5-7 hens.  Totally not necessary in most backyard cases, I think.


Also we starting getting the roos used to being stroked at about 24 weeks.  And only the hens that were laying we actually inseminated.  When you invert the hens (one who is laying and one who isn't) you can see the difference.  Which I noticed in the video she didnt do quite the same way.  Instead of inserting just into the cloaca, we inserted right into the oviduct.  To do so flip the hen over in one smooth motion, and then apply pressure with one finger on either side of the cloaca.  This should cause the inside of the cloaca to be exposed.  One the birds left side there should be a small hole.  BINGO youve found the oviduct. 

You can see the anatomy here.


The other thing we did was we kept the roos away from their ladies (assuming theyre in with hens at the time) the day before collection day.  Frustrates them a little but it helps increase the amount of gold you can collect.  So typically we would pen them Sunday, collect Monday and Tuesday mornings (unless the roo gave us enough gold to cover all of their hens on Monday).


If there are any questions I can answer please let me know.  I didnt know if you wanted a step-by-step description.  If you do just let me know /img/smilies/smile.png


ETA: So this morning I was thinking about this post, and remembered that I forgot to mention something.  The reason we waited until 24 wks was because I was working with a breeding flock of meat birds.  Therefore the start to their egg production is much later than most purely laying breeds.  So as to when to try for the first time, I'm not quite sure.  My plan is wait until I get my first few eggs, and then I'll go ahead to accustom the roo's to being handled in that capacity. /img/smilies/smile.png

thanks for ur post when will one should do ai

 

[rdrdr]

And how many times should try to get fully fertilised eggs for incubation and breeding

 

[NanaKat]

Resurrecting the great thread.
I have a lame Buckeye rooster who is unable to cover his hens. The hens were laying lovely eggs but were not fertile. AI was successful and eggs are incubating.
Initially used a stiff feather as I was taught. Then the spoon was acceptable. Finally used a plastic pipette and got better fertility.

 

[333113]

I personally do not see a benefit to a line that cannot reproduce naturally. To each their own, but I think in the long run it is a deteriment to the birds.

I agree in principle, but I have a Houdan hen who was badly injured by a raccoon. She has recovered despite losing a leg, and is now laying again. I want to carry her on in my line because she is a beautiful bird, a great layer, and produces beautiful eggs, but I am afraid that my Houdan roosters will injure her further. So I am reading up on artificial insemination, hoping to spare her more injury while getting some more chicks out of her. Houdans don't set/brood, so I will be using my trusty Nankins to set, brood, and raise her chicks, as I do with all my Houdans.

To me, getting around a random injury is a valid reason to try artificial insemination.

In addition, I have to say, in my opinion, for any breed that does not brood and raise its own chicks (and there are many breeds out there who are not setters), artificial insemination does not seem to me to be an interference in the reproductive cycle.

In my opinion, selecting birds who do not do their own setting and raising of chicks is more of a detriment to the line of birds than artificial insemination. But that's just my opinion. Ask me in a year, and I might have changed my mind!

However, as I said, I do agree in principle. IF the roo and hen can take it from flirting to chicks raised to adults, that's the way to go for the absolutely best results, for the pair of them and for the breed.

 

[R.J.]

I see your point. I have a 3yr old rooster that’s very aggressive towards any chicken, male and female . Won’t even try to mount a hen or pullet . Will just go straight to beating on em. His brothers are normal acting he’s the only one. But hes the most beautiful/perfect looking of em all. So I would like to breed him but have never been successful. Might have to give this a try as funny as it seems it’s my only chance at reproducing my best rooster.

 

[nuthatched]

I see your point. I have a 3yr old rooster that’s very aggressive towards any chicken, male and female . Won’t even try to mount a hen or pullet . Will just go straight to beating on em. His brothers are normal acting he’s the only one. But hes the most beautiful/perfect looking of em all. So I would like to breed him but have never been successful. Might have to give this a try as funny as it seems it’s my only chance at reproducing my best rooster.

Aggression is a genetic trait, I would absolutely not use that bird as a sire.

 

[RcoM]

It really depends on the rooster if he's experienced being handled for AI you can actually collect quite a bit more then a pea or droplet of water. Some of my experienced cochins used to being handled give quite a bit of semen when I collect, enough to AI more then one female. If he's young and not used to be handled most likely you won't get very much. Keep in mind it doesn't take much at all to get fertile eggs, if you can collect enough and in drops to insemenate the female that's all you need. Some of the old timers I've talked to use their thumb nail, it sounds gross but works for them, the point I'm trying to make is it doen't take much. As far as color, I've seen it both clear and with some yellow cast to it, from my experience the color has nothing to do with fertility. Keep in mind if it's very cold or really hot many times males aren't fertile. I've had some issues the last couple weeks due to temperature, it's been near zero at night and in the single digits to low teens during the day. Now the weather has taken a turn for the better things should pick up.

Shari

Now that was helpful!! I suspected that temperature affects fertility!