- Email: [email protected]
Storage of Turkey Semen1
1580
RESEARCH NOTES
STORAGE OF TURKEY SEMEN 1 F. H. WILCOX AND C. S. SHAFFNER
Department of Poultry Husbandry, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland (Received for publication July 22, 1960)
EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Four different trials were conducted in which Maryland Medium White hens were inseminated with the semen of Broad Breasted Bronze (trials 1 to 3) or Beltsville Small White males (trial 4). Semen was collected, pooled, and diluted with a sodium phosphate buffer containing 200 meg. oxytetracycline, 1,000 meg. dihydrostreptomycin, and 4 mg. fructose per milliliter, and 10% turkey egg white blended for 5 seconds in a Waring blender. Fresh semen was inseminated within 30 minutes after collec1
Scientific Article No. A864. Contribution No. 3173 of the Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station.
tion. Stored semen was held at 10°C. in cotton-stoppered tubes. Essentially two types of treatments were used whereby the semen was either (1) diluted 1 to 4 (1 volume semen and 3 volumes diluent) and 0.025 ml. or 0.1 ml. inseminated after storage, or (2) diluted 1 to 10 and reconcentrated by centrifuging at 1,200 R.C.F. for 10 minutes and resuspending with buffer containing 4 mg./ml. fructose just before insemination. The larger volume (0.1 ml.) was also inseminated in the case of the 1 to 4 dilution to prevent the reduction in the number of sperm inseminated when the smaller volume (0.025 ml.) was used. Eggs were collected for 13 to 18 days after insemination in trials 1 and 2 and for 56 days after insemination in trials 3 and 4. Hens were in pens in trials 1 and 2 and in individual cages in trials 3 and 4. Fertility was determined by candling eggs after one week of incubation. Hatchability was computed as the percentage of fertile eggs which had hatched after 28 days of incubation. Hatchability data for the last 28 days have been excluded due to the small number of eggs involved. RESULTS Results reveal (Table 1) that, in all cases where semen was stored, the fertility was substantially reduced. This is in distinct contrast to results with chicken semen. Apparently none of the storage methods used here are adequate for successful storage of turkey semen even for relatively short periods. Fertility was slightly improved when the amount of diluted semen inseminated was increased from 0.025 to 0.1 ml. Results
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at National Institute of Education Library, Serials Unit on May 23, 2015
Very little research has been done on storage of turkey semen. Attempts to store undiluted turkey semen at different temperatures (Harper, 1955; Carter et al., 1957) have shown fertility to be markedly reduced even after storage periods as short as two hours. In experiments with diluted turkey semen, Moravec et al. (1954) found fertility to be lowered after storage for one to three days. Two methods have recently been devised using chicken semen (Wilcox, 1960) in which there was no reduction in fertility after storage for 8 hours. These involve the use of a phosphate buffer containing fructose, egg white, and antibiotics, and either diluting 1 to 10 and reconcentrating before insemination or diluting 1 to 2 and inseminating in the diluted form (Wilcox, 1960). The present experiment was conducted to determine the effect on fertility of storing turkey semen in a similar manner.
1581
RESEARCH NOTES TABLE 1.—Fertility and hatchability from diluted and stored turkey semen
Percent hatchability (fertile eggs)
Percent fertility" ml. Insem.
Treatment
1-18 days
1-13 days
1-28 days
29-56 days
1--28 days
Trial
Diluted 1/10, coned.
1
2
3
4
3
0.025 0.025
96 77
66 58
84
45
42
7
—
—
—
—
0.025 0.1 0.025
37 42
34 51
11 25
—
1 1
—
—
—
—
0 19
—
4
4
3 84 •
0 4
—
88 74
—
91
— — — 85
a
Average of 6 | hens and 70 eggs (range = 31-111) per figure. The period for the collection of eggs for fertility and hatchability data started the second day after insemination.
with hatchability, although meager, indicate that there is no marked effect upon the hatchability of fertile eggs even for treatments in which the fertility is reduced. An interesting pattern of fertility was noticed when computed on a weekly basis, in that with treatments resulting in low fertility, the fertility did not decline during the first four weeks after insemination. This pattern is in contrast to that of the chicken in which low fertility during the first week after insemination is normally followed by further lowering of fertility (often to zero) during the second week after insemination.
REFERENCES Carter, R. D., M. G. McCartney, V. D. Chamberlin and J. W. Wyne, 1957. The effect of storage time and temperature on fertilizing capacity of turkey semen. Poultry Sci. 36: 618-621. Harper, J. A., 1955. The effect of holding time of turkey semen on fertilizing capacity. Poultry Sci. 34: 1289-1291. Moravec, D. F., F. E. Mussehl and D. M. Pace, 1954. Physiological characteristics of turkey semen. 2. Factors affecting motility and fertilizing capacity. Poultry Sci. 33: 1126-1129. Wilcox, F. H., 1960. Effect on fertility of temperature, handling methods, Lake's solution and the addition of egg white, egg yolk, and sugars to the diluent used in storing chicken semen. Poultry Sci. 39: 459-467.
A CONTINUOUS EXTRACTOR FOR FEEDSTUFFS H. MENGE, J. A. KNOX AND K. E. GRAUEL Poultry Research Branch, Animal Husbandry Research Division, ARS Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, Maryland (Received for publication July 21, 1960)
The need for a large continuous extractor became apparent while attempting to develop a low-fat diet for studies of fat metabolism in poultry. We were able to construct the apparatus described herein using materials that were more readily available to us than those described by McCay (1933).
The extractor, capable of holding approximately 25 pounds of material, is shown in Figure 1. This diagram is self-explanatory except for the following detail: The siphon (19) was made up of three different sizes of copper tubing, 0.625", 0.5", and 0.25", connected as shown in Figure 1. The condenser (3) was used as a pressure
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at National Institute of Education Library, Serials Unit on May 23, 2015
Fresh, undiluted Fresh, diluted 1/4 Stored 6 hrs.: Diluted 1/4
Trial
RESEARCH NOTES
STORAGE OF TURKEY SEMEN 1 F. H. WILCOX AND C. S. SHAFFNER
Department of Poultry Husbandry, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland (Received for publication July 22, 1960)
EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Four different trials were conducted in which Maryland Medium White hens were inseminated with the semen of Broad Breasted Bronze (trials 1 to 3) or Beltsville Small White males (trial 4). Semen was collected, pooled, and diluted with a sodium phosphate buffer containing 200 meg. oxytetracycline, 1,000 meg. dihydrostreptomycin, and 4 mg. fructose per milliliter, and 10% turkey egg white blended for 5 seconds in a Waring blender. Fresh semen was inseminated within 30 minutes after collec1
Scientific Article No. A864. Contribution No. 3173 of the Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station.
tion. Stored semen was held at 10°C. in cotton-stoppered tubes. Essentially two types of treatments were used whereby the semen was either (1) diluted 1 to 4 (1 volume semen and 3 volumes diluent) and 0.025 ml. or 0.1 ml. inseminated after storage, or (2) diluted 1 to 10 and reconcentrated by centrifuging at 1,200 R.C.F. for 10 minutes and resuspending with buffer containing 4 mg./ml. fructose just before insemination. The larger volume (0.1 ml.) was also inseminated in the case of the 1 to 4 dilution to prevent the reduction in the number of sperm inseminated when the smaller volume (0.025 ml.) was used. Eggs were collected for 13 to 18 days after insemination in trials 1 and 2 and for 56 days after insemination in trials 3 and 4. Hens were in pens in trials 1 and 2 and in individual cages in trials 3 and 4. Fertility was determined by candling eggs after one week of incubation. Hatchability was computed as the percentage of fertile eggs which had hatched after 28 days of incubation. Hatchability data for the last 28 days have been excluded due to the small number of eggs involved. RESULTS Results reveal (Table 1) that, in all cases where semen was stored, the fertility was substantially reduced. This is in distinct contrast to results with chicken semen. Apparently none of the storage methods used here are adequate for successful storage of turkey semen even for relatively short periods. Fertility was slightly improved when the amount of diluted semen inseminated was increased from 0.025 to 0.1 ml. Results
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at National Institute of Education Library, Serials Unit on May 23, 2015
Very little research has been done on storage of turkey semen. Attempts to store undiluted turkey semen at different temperatures (Harper, 1955; Carter et al., 1957) have shown fertility to be markedly reduced even after storage periods as short as two hours. In experiments with diluted turkey semen, Moravec et al. (1954) found fertility to be lowered after storage for one to three days. Two methods have recently been devised using chicken semen (Wilcox, 1960) in which there was no reduction in fertility after storage for 8 hours. These involve the use of a phosphate buffer containing fructose, egg white, and antibiotics, and either diluting 1 to 10 and reconcentrating before insemination or diluting 1 to 2 and inseminating in the diluted form (Wilcox, 1960). The present experiment was conducted to determine the effect on fertility of storing turkey semen in a similar manner.
1581
RESEARCH NOTES TABLE 1.—Fertility and hatchability from diluted and stored turkey semen
Percent hatchability (fertile eggs)
Percent fertility" ml. Insem.
Treatment
1-18 days
1-13 days
1-28 days
29-56 days
1--28 days
Trial
Diluted 1/10, coned.
1
2
3
4
3
0.025 0.025
96 77
66 58
84
45
42
7
—
—
—
—
0.025 0.1 0.025
37 42
34 51
11 25
—
1 1
—
—
—
—
0 19
—
4
4
3 84 •
0 4
—
88 74
—
91
— — — 85
a
Average of 6 | hens and 70 eggs (range = 31-111) per figure. The period for the collection of eggs for fertility and hatchability data started the second day after insemination.
with hatchability, although meager, indicate that there is no marked effect upon the hatchability of fertile eggs even for treatments in which the fertility is reduced. An interesting pattern of fertility was noticed when computed on a weekly basis, in that with treatments resulting in low fertility, the fertility did not decline during the first four weeks after insemination. This pattern is in contrast to that of the chicken in which low fertility during the first week after insemination is normally followed by further lowering of fertility (often to zero) during the second week after insemination.
REFERENCES Carter, R. D., M. G. McCartney, V. D. Chamberlin and J. W. Wyne, 1957. The effect of storage time and temperature on fertilizing capacity of turkey semen. Poultry Sci. 36: 618-621. Harper, J. A., 1955. The effect of holding time of turkey semen on fertilizing capacity. Poultry Sci. 34: 1289-1291. Moravec, D. F., F. E. Mussehl and D. M. Pace, 1954. Physiological characteristics of turkey semen. 2. Factors affecting motility and fertilizing capacity. Poultry Sci. 33: 1126-1129. Wilcox, F. H., 1960. Effect on fertility of temperature, handling methods, Lake's solution and the addition of egg white, egg yolk, and sugars to the diluent used in storing chicken semen. Poultry Sci. 39: 459-467.
A CONTINUOUS EXTRACTOR FOR FEEDSTUFFS H. MENGE, J. A. KNOX AND K. E. GRAUEL Poultry Research Branch, Animal Husbandry Research Division, ARS Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, Maryland (Received for publication July 21, 1960)
The need for a large continuous extractor became apparent while attempting to develop a low-fat diet for studies of fat metabolism in poultry. We were able to construct the apparatus described herein using materials that were more readily available to us than those described by McCay (1933).
The extractor, capable of holding approximately 25 pounds of material, is shown in Figure 1. This diagram is self-explanatory except for the following detail: The siphon (19) was made up of three different sizes of copper tubing, 0.625", 0.5", and 0.25", connected as shown in Figure 1. The condenser (3) was used as a pressure
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at National Institute of Education Library, Serials Unit on May 23, 2015
Fresh, undiluted Fresh, diluted 1/4 Stored 6 hrs.: Diluted 1/4
Trial