Sexual Maturity of Male Chickens According To Early Response of Semen Collection

Abstract

Determination of age at sexual maturity trait is very important before selection of breeding males of chickens without depending on female. A total of 44 males and 84 females at 13wks of age of Norfa chickens were used for this study. The aim of this study was to determine age at sexual maturity of cocks depending on the first response of semen collecting and to characterize some of semen parameters at the same time. Semen was collected by abdominal massage method. Studied traits were age at sexual maturity, body weight at sexual maturity, fertility, hatchability and egg weight at sexual maturity .Also, some of semen parameters included volume ,PH, concentration of sperms per ml, motility and percent of normal shape were studied. Males were divided into three groups; the first was early sexual maturity (G1)≤ mean-1S.D,the second was the moderate sexual maturity (G2)which equal to mean or not significant different with mean and the third was the late sexual maturity (G3)≥mean+1S.D.The summarized results show that male age at sexual maturity ( first response of semen collecting means were (AFR)) 91±0.0, 104.7±0.55 and 120.17±1.2d. of G1,G2 and G3 respectively ,There were highly significant differences among three groups. Female age at sexual maturity means were 144±162.05 d., 162.05±0.4 d. and 196±6.3 d. of G1,G2 and G3 respectively. ,with highly significant differences among three groups. There were no significance differences in semen quality traits at sexual maturity among all groups. Fertility in early group was greater than others. Hatchability in early group was greater than others. Males showed earlier sexual maturity than female, but differences between female groups were greater than male groups.