title: Relationship between fertility duration and in vivo sperm storage in broiler breeder hens.
abstract: 1. Seventy Hubbard hens, 75 weeks of age, were divided into groups containing equal numbers of hens on the basis of duration of fertility. Average fertile periods were 14.5 d (long, L) and 6.9 d (short, S). Each hen was artificially inseminated (AI) on three consecutive days with an average of 1.61 X 10(9)/0.05 ml spermatozoa per insemination. Seven hens from each group were killed 1, 3, 6, 9, and 13 d after insemination. 2. Three longitudinal sections of uterovaginal junction were evaluated microscopically for spermatozoal storage capacity by assigning each sperm host gland (SHG) to one of 5 categories: unscorable, empty, one to 5 spermatozoa, 6 to 20 spermatozoa and greater than 20 spermatozoa. 3. The only significant difference in sperm storage at any time between the L and S duration groups occurred at day 1 after AI, when L duration hens possessed significantly more glands with more than 20 spermatozoa. 4. One day after AI the proportion of SHG containing sperm were 28.8% (L group) and 18.6% (S group). There was a significant decrease in the number of glands containing 1 to 5, 6 to 20 and greater than 20 spermatozoa between days 1 to 3 in both groups. 5. Numbers of glands in all categories containing sperm decreased throughout the 13-d period. The L duration group possessed 18.5% more glands with 1 to 5, 6 to 20 and greater than 20 spermatozoa than the S duration group. 6. There were no significant differences between groups in the proportion of unscorable or empty glands throughout, which ranged from 35.9 to 56.8% and 36.3 to 47.1%, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Poultry Science, Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station, School of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University 36849-5518.
authors.forename: E E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Pierson
authors.forename: G R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: McDaniel
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Krista
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility; D007315:Insemination, Artificial / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000502:physiology*