By

Zaib-Ur-Rehman
Lecturer
Department of Poultry Science
PMAS, Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
 Avian Reproductive system differs
Reproduction is organized into distinct developmental and
functional phases
Male, it include
Fertilization
formation of a patent reproductive tract
production of sperms
maniifestation of male-specific behavioral patterns
expulsion of sperm from the body

It consist of testes, epididymis, ductus deferens, papilla and

phallus
TESTES
Two elliptical testes lie along the back, near the anterior end of
kidneys
Weight at birth is 2-4g & at maturity 25-35g
Left testis is heavier 0.5-3g
Mesorchium connects testes with the body wall
Serves as conduit for blood vessels and nerves
Each teste is made up of two types of parenchymal tissue,
interstitial and seminephrus epithelium
Interstitial tissue contain
Lyding cells
Peritubular epithelial cells
Nerves
Lymphatic vessels
Blood vessels
TESTES
Seminephras epithelium consist of
Fibroblast
Myoepitheilial cells
Connective tissue over basal lamina
Sertoli cells and developing germ cell stages are present
within seminephrus tubules
Their size varies depending upon the age and reproductive
stage
EPIDIDYMIS
The series of ducts opening into deferent duct are referred as
epididymis
It is present on the dorso-medial aspect of kidney known as
hilus
Epididymis consists of
rete testes
connecting ducts
efferent ducts
epididymal duct

Rete testes are lined by simple cuboidal and simple squamous

epithelium
Efferent dusts have pseudostratified clumner ciliated and non-
ciliated epithelium
EPIDIDYMIS
Connecting Ducts The epithelium of connecting ducts is also
pseudostratified columnar
Ductus deferens
It is the continuity of epididymis having low mucosal folds
covered with non-ciliated pseudostratified columnar
epithelium
From cranial epididymis toward ductus deferens the luminal
diameter increase gradually up-to three times and dense
connective tissue along with smooth muscles surround the
mucosa
It runs towards cloaca for opening
PAPILLA
The deferens ductus straitens towards cloaca
Abruptly widens making receptacle a bean shaped structure
It terminates into cloacal urodeum (on dorsal wall) as papilla
(copulatory organ), immediately below the opening of ureter
ACCESSORY ORGANS
Accessory reproductive organs consist of
Paracloacal vascular bodies
lymphatic folds
dorsal proctodeal gland

They are integral part of cloaca

Paracloacal vascular body lies alongside the receptacles
Lymphatic folds are present in proctodium wall
A non-intromittent phallus (used for sex identification) forms
tumescence of lymphatic folds that is seen everted immediately
after ejaculation
And the lymph is formed inside vascular bodies by the
ultrafiltration of blood
 ONTOGENY OF REPRODUCTIVE
ORGANS
Pronephros, mesonephros and metanephros are the three pairs
of primary excretory organs formed after incubation
Pronephros (wollifian duct) disappear after 4 days of
incubation
Pronephros gives rise to mesonephros tubule, Mullarian duct,
connect mesonephros and cloaca and eventually persist as
deferent duct in males
Gonads arise from germinal ridge of mesonephros
Primary sex cords and rete cords are present in
undifferentiated gonad
 ONTOGENY OF REPRODUCTIVE
ORGANS
Gonadal differentiation takes place around 6.5-7 day of
incubation
Progenitors of sertoli cells in sex cords are responsible for the
production of mullarian inhibiting substance (hormone) which
is responsible for regression of Mullarian ducts
Acromatase is an enzyme responsible for conversion of
testosterone into estradiol, so it is the key factor for gonadal
differentiation and development of female phenotype
HORMONAL PROFILES AND
SPERMATOGENESIS
 CONTINUE
The LC being dispersed between the tubules, produce several
androgens, primarily testosterone
As sexual maturity approaches, production of testosterone is
stimulated by increased plasma concentrations of
gonadotrophins, especially, LH
In mature males, blood levels of LH is maintained by the
following negative feedback loop :
increased testosterone levels decreased secretion of
GnRH -, inhibits secretion of LH decreased concentration
of LH decreased concentration of androgens
increased secretion of GnRH --) increased secretion of
LH.
SEMEN PRODUCTION
Number of sperms per gram of testes produced per day is
known as daily sperm production
In case of gallus it is 80120 million sperm per gram of testis
This value denotes number of sperms released from
seminephrous epithelium to seminephrous tubule lumen per
day
This phenomenon is known as spermiation
Galliform sperms are 0.50.7 m wide and 7590 m in length
SEMEN PRODUCTION
Acrosome of sperm is conical, nucleus is moderately bent
cylindrical, and flagellum (84% of cell length) is surrounded by
helix having 25-30 mitochondrion
Following spermiation sperms are suspended in seminephrus
fluid that results in formation of seminal plasma
Male ejaculate 0.1-1 cc semen with 1.5-8x109 sperms in a single
mating
SEMEN
Volume and concentration
Number of SC and daily sperm production depend on testicular
size
large-sized males will have larger testes and produce more semen
Up to 87% of daily sperm may be collected by abdominal massage
method provided that the males are mating frequently or
ejaculated 5 times a week in artificial insemination (Al) program
In the absence of ejaculation, spermatozoa from lower vas deferens
are reabsorbed
Volume and concentration of sperms decrease if ejaculate is
collected frequently
Color of semen will be pearly white with a pH of 7.0 to 7.2
VOLUME AND CONCENTRATION OF THE
SEMEN
NUMBER OF SPERMS VS NO OF EJACULATIONS
MOTILITY OF SPERMS AT DIFFERENT
REGIONS
TRANSPORT AND STORAGE
Fluids from ST move SZ released into the lumen to RT
Re-absorption of the fluids at RT and vasa efferentia resulting in
concentration of SZ which then pass through ED to vas deferens
(VD), reservoir of semen
In Coturnix, sperm concentration is enhanced by 60 folds and
transport through excurrent ducts takes about 24 hr (several
days in chicken)
Cells of RT and ED synthesize and secrete proteins which help
SZ to gain motility and fertilizability
Release of fully formed SZ into lumen of ST is called as
spermiation.
 CONTINUE.
SZ can reach lower VD from ED in 24 hr and most of SZ in ED
would have been transported within 72 hr
40-60% of SZ/semen is given out in the first ejaculate on
abdominal massage
At ejaculation, semen from VD flows out, on contraction of well-
developed muscles in the lower region, through papillae into
urodeum, lymph-engorged lateral phallic folds of proctodeum
and to cloaca in that order; it exits with such a force that it
seldom touches cloaca
SECONDARY SEX GLANDS
Domestic birds lack secondary sex glands
Seminal fluid is derived entirely from testes and/or excurrent
ducts
Lymphatic exudates may be added to the semen in case of
abdominal massage for collection of semen
Chicken, turkeys and Japanese quails have a gland in the dorsal
proctodeum
This gland can be considered an accessory sex gland in case of
Japanese quails
METABOLISM
In vivo, fertilizing capacity of SZ lasts for 7 to 14 d whereas, in vitro, it
decreases within 15 min
From testes up to ED, SZ do not receive energy nor dispatch waste directly
to blood stream.
Cock can utilize glucose both aerobically and anaerobically
Tom semen only aerobically
Fowl SZ can utilize PL when glucose is not available; but it cannot
metabolize glutamate although it is available at high concentrations
Therefore, glutamate is not an essential component in any semen diluent
but it is beneficial as a preservative probably as an alternative for Cl- ions

Seminal fluid is a poor reservoir of glucose and hence cannot cater to the
energy requirements of SZ
If lymphatic fluid is present in semen (as in case of abdominal massage)
MATING/ ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION
Natural Mating
Courtship
Male
Waltz (drops one wing and approaches the hen with short shuffling
side-steps)
Tidbitting
Cornerning
Female
MATING
Semen is ejaculated through the engorged phallic folds into
everted cloaca
The male quickly retracts and slides off the female
The female assumes a characteristic stance and in about 3 to 4
sec shakes vigorously while the male may circle and waltz
around the female
Males prefer to mate with females having a phenotype
In small flocks, females mate with the same male in the
absence of morphological differences in the male
Courtship in case of turkeys is called strutting
ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION
Advantages
Less number of males
Pedigree mating
Unlimited number of single male matings
Prefential mating
Problems of trap nesting
Pooled semen
Old males (with good characteristics)
Cage system
Turkey & broiler breeders
Male to female ratio in Muscovy ducks
Sexually transmitted diseases
 CONTINUE
Disadvantages
Labor consuming
Chances of cross contamination
Involves handling of birds
MATING
Male chicken attempts to mate 10-30 times a day and 70%
mating is successful
Male birds prefer to mate with pullets in the middle of social
order and may mate with the same hen many times in a day
Competition, availability of female, social order, light,
temperature and many other factors effect courting behavior
SEMEN COLLECTION
In chicken, turkeys, Guinea fowl, Pheasants and Quails, semen
collection can be done by abdominal massage method
In case of Ducks and Geese, semen is usually collected by
intercepting the flow of semen during natural mating.
ABDOMINAL MASSAGE METHOD
Semen can be collected from male chicken by massaging the
soft part under pelvic bone
Papilla protrudes out and semen is gently milked out in a vial
An experienced practitioner can collect semen from 145 birds
in an hour
Semen collected at morning is more efficient because of
Greater volume
High sperm motility
Concentration

Semen is collected by aspiration into an ampoule containing

semen diluent at 15C
 CONTINUE
Advantages of using diluents are
a) prevents cold-shock to the SZ since the vial itself will be
cooler
b) diluents buffer the acidic products of metabolism of SZ and
c) volume of semen to be handled will be practical and
convenient commercially
Since Avian SZ can metabolize glucose/fructose
TES, BFS and PO4- - act as buffers in the range of pH 6.8 to 7.5.
Milk powder and albumen are added to help freezing
SEMEN EVALUATION
Fertilizability of the SZ
To fix dilution rate to ensure 108 sperms/Al.
Color of semen must be white to pearly white; yellow (fecal
contamination) and brownish red (presence of RBCs) colors are not
acceptable
Neat semen can be viewed under microscope for swirling mass of
cells sweeping across the field
Volume is found to fix dilution rate later and if weigh of semen is
fund, density can be calculated as the ratio of weight to volume;
density of semen is expected to be 1 mg/L
Concentration can be assessed by automatic counters
(spermatocrit)
Transmittance (spectrometric)
Integrity of SZ can be estimated by staining technique
INSEMINATION DOSE
Theoretically, 5 x 107 SZ appear to be sufficient; but, under
commercial conditions, 108 (chicken) to 2 x 108 (turkeys) SZ are
recommended
5 to 20 AI can be done per collection
Each male can yield semen 4 to 5 times/week
40 to 200 hens can be inseminated over a week out of semen
from a cock
TIMING OF AI
Timing of Al changes according to oviposition of the species
In chicken, AI done at or within 2 hr after oviposition resulted in
20 to 40% fewer fertile eggs
This is presumably because of fewer contractions of shell gland
and vagina
High fertility can be expected for 7 d (chicken) and 14 d
(turkeys) after Al
It is highly recommended to repeat AI after 5 d (chicken) or 7 d
(turkeys) to ensure high fertility
Under commercial conditions, some poultry breeders do
perform AI twice a week.
PLACEMENT OF SEMEN
Cloaca is everted by securing the bird and applying a gentle
pressure on the abdomen towards the vent;
White Leghorns commonly evert the cloaca with little effort
whereas, broiler breeders may require training and careful
handling for satisfactory results
Vaginal entry is exposed (constricted opening can be seen on
the left side of the bird)
Al pipette is inserted to about 3 cm (chicken) or 6 cm (turkeys)
depth
It is highly desirable that the Al is performed within 30 min of
collection of semen
IN VITRO STORAGE OF SEMEN
Avian semen is more fragile than that of mammals
Therefore, whenever AI is not possible to be completed within
30 min, in vitro storage becomes a necessity
Semen can either be held in a liquid medium or be frozen; the
latter is not commercial because of fragility of Avian SZ (98 to
99% of SZ are Lost due to freezing and thawing) as well as cost
and availability of liquid nitrogen
Liquid semen can be stored up to 48 hr with sufficient supply of
oxygen and glucose with sufficient buffering to maintain pH
and an ambient temperature of 5 to 7C
Hence, it is possible to hold diluted semen for 24 hr (turkeys) to
48 hr (chicken) at 5C with minimum loss
CAPONIZATION
Surgical removal of testes to castrate a male chickens resulting
the cockerel fail to develop
certain male characteristics
tends to lose them if they are developed

Castration eliminate the production for male sex hormones

capons are usually docile and quiet, and their head seem small
because comb and wattles cease growing after castration but
the feathers of hackle, tail and saddle grow unusually long
CAPONIZATION
These males do not waste energy in courting behavior, fighting
and territorial protection
Feed conversion ratio becomes better, fat deposition increases
and meat quality improves
Capon meat has more fat, so this meat is more tender, juicier
and flavorful than that of intact male
Caponization is usually done at two to four weeks of age
Capons are marketed at the age of 15 to 18 weeks
A good practitioner can caponize 200 birds per hour
FERTILITY IN CHICKENS
Goal of a chicken breeder is to produce hatching eggs
Flock fertility is dependent (the level of egg and semen production)
Combined with the chickens' interest in and capability of mating
Fertility decrease as the chickens get older
For females, it is decline in fertility is due to
faster release of sperm from the sperm storage tubules
meaning that the hen cannot store sperm as long

For males, it is presumed that although roosters continue to produce sperm

for many years, sperm quality declines and mating activity decreases as a
rooster ages
Increase in early embryo deaths occurs when incubated eggs come from
chickens in the second half of their reproduction cycle. These early deaths
often appear as clears and may be mistaken for infertile eggs during
candling or breaking out of unhatched eggs.
REFERENCES
Reece, W.O., 2005. Dukes Physiology of Domestic Animals, Panima
publishing corporation New Delhi, Banglore, India.
Whittow, G.C., 2000. Sturkies Avian Physiology. 5th Edition.
Academic Press, New York, USA.
Bell, D.D. and W.D. Weaver. 2007. Commercial Chicken Meat and
Egg Production. 5th Edition. Springer (India) Private, Limited.
Sreenivasaih, P.V. 2006. Scientific Poultry Production. 3rd Revised
Edition, International Book Distributing Company, Lucknow, India.
Pages, 134-146.