Heritage Large Fowl - Phase II

[hellbender]

Never studied up on that (cold storing/freezing poultry semen) interesting. I know they AI turkeys and collect the semen to do it. It's simply because those commercial type 60+ lb males are to awkward to "do it" I know they directly take what is collected and it goes straight to the hen house for AI breeding. (there is a certain time allowance here but I think it is in hours)

Does anyone know if it is possible to freeze store poultry semen or is there a problem with that method. I have an idea but it sure sounds like and interesting study.

Jeff


Ok I typed my post out before I got the Vickie's response so go around what she already answered then LOL

 

[hellbender]

Having had a semen tank for years, for cattle and Nubians, I've already asked this question. Collecting is not the problem. Extending and freezing is.Can you imagine the size of a one dose straw ?Fewer chilly arm pits though !

Not that I plan to'pioneer' any such breeding practices but I see no reason why the same size straws that are used for goats wouldn't work. I have REAL dairy goats..(Saanens) and I have several straws of frozen semen for them in my friends tank as well...I guess people do use AI for those MEAT goats (Nubians) too...

J/K !!!!!!

 

[MagicChicken]

"Semen tanks." Something new to throw into a casual conversation to prove to people I'm even weirder than they already think.

Bringing this back on topic, it's ironic that sperm storage is an issue for artificial insemination in chickens. Ironic because the hens seem to be really, really good at storing sperm all on their own. Especially when you least want them to - like when you are trying to breed your heritage large fowl hen with a specific cockbird and the little hussy escapes from her breeding pen to have a fling with the banty rooster next door.

It's hard to imagine a self-respecting farmer in the 1800's keeping a bunch of chickens that couldn't reproduce on their own. Just saying.

Sarah

 

[call ducks]

"Semen tanks." Something new to throw into a casual conversation to prove to people I'm even weirder than they already think.

Bringing this back on topic, it's ironic that sperm storage is an issue for artificial insemination in chickens. Ironic because the hens seem to be really, really good at storing sperm all on their own. Especially when you least want them to - like when you are trying to breed your heritage large fowl hen with a specific cockbird and the little hussy escapes from her breeding pen to have a fling with the banty rooster next door.

It's hard to imagine a self-respecting farmer in the 1800's keeping a bunch of chickens that couldn't reproduce on their own. Just saying.

Sarah

Ahh yes - Not only can the hen store it... she can reject it! So if that hen does not like the cock she might just.... uhh... "spit"(?? fart, IDK?) it back out on to the ground. I belive some hens maybe able to store it for really long times too I have heard like six weeks.

Ahh the 1800's was a different time for poultry - the farmers did not use purebreds so were able to obtain a decent sized (for the time...) carcuss just by crossing. Turkeys would be walked to the markets. So the farmers put leather boots on there feet so they would not get blistered or anything.

What does storage of gammets have to do with heritage poultry? Well due to cut backs about 5 flocks of heritage poultry were just iced in BC.... By Iced I mean cryogenicly frozen (if I remember right, or the gammets were frozen some how but I am almost sure it was not using liquid nitrogen).

 

[Piet]

On frozen semen. In Holland in 09 they collected semen from 16 different Dutch heritage breeds. They froze 800 doses of each breed from at least 10 roosters each breed. Many breeders offered their best birds for this project. It is another help tool for the preservation of the more rare breeds. I have all the documents here about it, but no way I am translating it all

 

[Arielle]

Quote: I fell hard for speckled sussex.

I spend a lot of time looking at them to see the differences. Another is the black copper marans, though not heritge, they are complicated between the feather coloring, the leg feathers AND the egg coloring.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: It has its pros and cons. Most of the stallions my mares have been bred to live across the big pond.

 

[Arielle]

On frozen semen. In Holland in 09 they collected semen from 16 different Dutch heritage breeds. They froze 800 doses of each breed from at least 10 roosters each breed. Many breeders offered their best birds for this project. It is another help tool for the preservation of the more rare breeds. I have all the documents here about it, but no way I am translating it all

I have learned to read some of the horse breeding material so I understand your reluctance to translate. Technical words with very specific meanings are hard to translate. I have a mare by Nimmerdor.

 

[hellbender]

"Semen tanks." Something new to throw into a casual conversation to prove to people I'm even weirder than they already think.

Bringing this back on topic, it's ironic that sperm storage is an issue for artificial insemination in chickens. Ironic because the hens seem to be really, really good at storing sperm all on their own. Especially when you least want them to - like when you are trying to breed your heritage large fowl hen with a specific cockbird and the little hussy escapes from her breeding pen to have a fling with the banty rooster next door.

It's hard to imagine a self-respecting farmer in the 1800's keeping a bunch of chickens that couldn't reproduce on their own. Just saying.

Sarah

Most of us are not living in the 1800s and it has nothing to do with if chickens can reproduce on their own or not....the point is that sperm from superior cocks could be used in good hens regardless if they lived around the bend or around the world.

Wake up...it's 2014.....

 

[Arielle]

"Semen tanks." Something new to throw into a casual conversation to prove to people I'm even weirder than they already think.

Bringing this back on topic, it's ironic that sperm storage is an issue for artificial insemination in chickens. Ironic because the hens seem to be really, really good at storing sperm all on their own. Especially when you least want them to - like when you are trying to breed your heritage large fowl hen with a specific cockbird and the little hussy escapes from her breeding pen to have a fling with the banty rooster next door.

It's hard to imagine a self-respecting farmer in the 1800's keeping a bunch of chickens that couldn't reproduce on their own. Just saying.

Sarah

Historically, they had cattle semen storage figured out right quick. Horse semen did not hold with the same procedures. It would be many years before they figured out a different diluent was needed-- IThink that was the answer- been a while since that seminar.

In HOlland thay have stallion stations. I can just see it now, roosters kept at stations for collection and freezing. lol VDL had a huge lab and regularly collected and froze the semen. Just don't see that happening with chickens. . . . .though I think they had a chicken operation too.

Edited for clarity-- a chicken operation as in production, not freezing semen.