ABSTRACT

Studies were carried out on the effect of genotype and frequency of collection on semen characteristics of chickens. Semen samples were collected from ten adult Nigerian local cocks comprising ' 4 Normal Feathered, 2 Naked - Neck, 2 Frizzle and 2 Naked - Neck x Frizzle. They were subjected to two ejaculation frequencies namely - once and twice per week, for nine weeks (June - July) using the massage technique. Ejaculates were subjected to physical and laboratory evaluation for quality. Results showed that there were significant (P<0.05) differences between the genotypes for ejaculates volume. The Normal- Feathered (0. 15±O.009) and Naked-Neck x Frizzle (0. 13±O.013ml) chickens were significantly superior to the Naked-Neck (0.11±0.0 13m1) and Frizzle (0.08±0.013ml) genotypes. Total spermatozoa were significantly (P<0.05) affected by the two frequencies of semen collection with once a week evacuation giving significantly higher value (530.61±99.412 x 106) than twice a week (243.60±95.74 x 106). Sperm concentration and total sperm per ejaculate showed significantly higher (P<0.05) values when semen collection frequency was twice a week. From these results it was concluded that the Normal-Feathered and Naked-Neck x Frizzle cocks were superior to the normal cocks in semen output and quality under the humid tropical environment.