ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION

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Discover the expert in you.

STEPS:

By Alison Faria.

Gather the Tools

Artificial insemination of chickens only requires a couple of simple tools. These tools are: a 1 cc plastic syringe, a medicine dropper, and a glass eye cup. However, it should be noted that commercial chicken breeders will most likely use more intricate equipment such as temperature-controlled collectors for the semen, injections guns and collection aspirators.

Select the Male and Female Chickens

It is important that the chickens used in the insemination process fulfill certain requirements. The male must already have reached maturity, have no physical defects, and be healthy. Additionally, the male needs to be sexually active, tame and free from any external parasites.
When it comes to selecting a female, in order to prevent injury the female cannot have any hard-shelled eggs in the lower area of her oviduct. The reason for this is because the presence of such an egg would hinder the journey of the sperm to the ova.

The Male Procedure

With an assistant present, the male should be held with his keel in the palm of the left hand of the person holding him. The right leg should be secured so that it is in between the first and second fingers of the left hand of that person. The left leg should then be positioned between the second and third fingers of that same hand.
Next, with the right hand, begin stroking the back from the midsection all the way to the end of the tail, while at the same time the fingers of the left hand are massaging the abdomen of the male. After a few strokes (which should be vigorous rather than gentle) the forefinger and thumb of the right hand should apply pressure to either side of the vent of the chicken. At the same time, the fingers of the left hand should be applying pressure to the abdomen.
These actions should culminate in the extension of the organ used for copulation as well as the flow of semen. If the semen flow is too slow, it can be increased with a small milking action. During this time the assistant should be allowing the semen to flow into the eye cup.

Inseminating the Female

Before beginning the actual insemination of the female, it is important to keep in mind the fact that the female chicken is delicate, and requires gentle handling. She should be stimulated in the same manner used to stimulate the male. The stimulation causes an orifice on the left side of her vent to open. The assistant should use the medicine dropper or the 1 cc syringe to inject the semen about an inch deep into this orifice. The pressure that was applied on the body of the female chicken should then be relaxed immediately. This way, her oviduct can withdraw back into her body, taking the semen with it and hopefully inciting successful results.

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