Reproductive Indices of Naturally Mated and Artificially Inseminated Quail Hens (Coturnix japonica): Is Artificial Insemination of Japanese Quail Hens Feasible in a Local Setting?

Abstract

Naturally mated and artificially inseminated Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) hens’ eggs reproductive indices were investigated to evaluate natural mating or artificial insemination techniques for breeding quails in local farms. A total of 141 (108 hens and 33 cocks) matured quails of about 11 weeks of age were used for the experiment, of which 54 hens were inseminated with Citric-quail egg albumen extended semen collected from 15 fertile cocks. Another 54 hens were naturally mated by another 18 fertile cocks in a ratio of one cock to three hens (1:3). Eggs collected from both naturally mated and artificially inseminated birds were incubated for 18 days. The percentage of incubated eggs that were fertile when candled on the 7th and 12th day and hatch-out analysis after the 18th day of incubation tested fertility. Hatchability was tested by the percentage number of fertile eggs that hatched. Naturally mated and artificially inseminated hens’ eggs had a fertility of 84.0 % and 73.3 %, and a hatchability of 82.5 % and 85.5 %, respectively. The study revealed no significant difference in the frequency of fertile or hatched Japanese quail eggs (χ2 cal < χ critical at 5% or 1% level of probability). Naturally mated and artificially inseminated birds had relative fertile egg rates of 53.4 % and 46.6 %, respectively, and relative egg hatching rates of 52.5% and 47.5 %, respectively. Artificial insemination had the advantage of introducing the same volume of semen to more quail hens than a single cock in a natural mating process. However, natural mating was recommended over artificial insemination in the study area because of the technical constraints that required more workforce and amenities in the insemination process. The authors recommended research on developing restraint instruments and non-electrical semen storage methods for quail birds. The authors also proposed a restraint model for quail birds