Effective Dosages of Undiluted Semen in Artificial Insemination of Chickens

Abstract QUINN and Burrows (1936) reported that they obtained 97 percent fertility of eggs from hens which were inseminated five days a week with 0.2 c.c. of undiluted semen. This treatment was admittedly more than adequate to produce good results, both as to dosage and frequency of insemination. The investigations herein reported were carried out at the National Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, Maryland, for the purpose of determining satisfactory dosages of semen and frequencies of insemination for use in practical artificial breeding of chickens. Three distinct objectives were kept in view during the investigations: (1) a practical means of obtaining the largest number of fertile eggs from any given hen, (2) of obtaining the largest number of fertile eggs from the services of any given male, and (3) of obtaining the largest number of fertile eggs from a flock of females with the least amount of labor and expense. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE