Effect of Frequency of Artificial Insemination on Reproductive Performance of Nigerian Local Chicken,
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Date
2019
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Publisher
NSAP
Abstract
The Nigerian local chicken (NLC) are being selected for fast growth and improved body size, two important traits in breed utilization for commercial meat production. These traits are however negatively correlated with reproductive trait. Artificial insemination (AI) could be successfully deployed to overcome this problem as currently done in turkey breeding and could also be used to maintain pedigreed mating. This study evaluated the effects of AI frequency on reproductive performance of NLC. Seventy-two birds (aged 33 weeks) comprising 12 cocks and 60 hens were used in a 1:5 mating ratio. The birds were kept in battery cages and deep litter for a period of eight weeks. They were randomly distributed into four treatment groups of varied insemination frequencies: Natural mating (Control); AI twice weekly; AI once weekly; and AI once in two weeks. For two weeks prior to mating, the cocks’ body weight and sperm characteristics (semen volume, sperm concentration and motility and percentage active sperm cells) were determined. A total of 2,400 fertile eggs were collected from the treatment groups and set in incubator to evaluate the percentage day 12 fertility, percentage day 18 live germs and hatchability of fertile eggs. Data were analyzed using one – way ANOVA and Chi-square (SPSS, 23). There was no significant difference in the body weight and sperm characteristics between the treatment groups. There was however significant (p < 0.05) effect of insemination frequency on fertility of eggs from weeks 1 to 7. Birds inseminated twice weekly had the highest mean fertility (90.85%) while birds inseminated once in two weeks had the lowest fertility (58.34%). The effect of insemination frequency on Day 18 percent live germs was not significant. Insemination frequency affected hatchability significantly (p < 0.05) in 6 out of 8 weeks. Bird inseminated once weekly had the highest hatchability (72.8%), while birds inseminated once in 2 weeks had the lowest hatchability (57.0%). The study showed that inseminating birds twice weekly improve fertility of eggs while insemination frequency of once weekly enhance hatchability. Inseminating birds twice weekly is hereby recommended for enhancing fertility in commercial production of Nigerian Local chicken.
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Citation
R. A. Oluwafemi, O. A. Olafadehan, B. Y. Abubakar, A. A. Adeniji and A. Jubril (Eds.), 133–139.