The Yields of Semen among Inbred Lines and Crosses of S. C. White Leghorns

INTRODUCTION POULTRY breeders are finding that laying cages are a useful aid in poultry breeding. Most breeders using cages are resorting to artificial insemination in order to reproduce their breeding stocks. Further information is needed concerning semen yields of males to facilitate the increased use of artificial insemination. The purpose of this paper is to report the results from a study on the yields of semen among inbred lines and crosses of S. C. White Leghorns. REVIEW OF LITERATURE Burrows and Titus (1939) observed that crossbred (B. P. Rocks×R. I. Reds) cockerels averaged over 1.0 cc. semen per bird per collection. They obtained a significant correlation between testes size and semen production. They concluded that 61 percent of the variation in semen production was due to differences in testes size. Wheeler and Andrews (1943) obtained results which indicate a seasonal variation in production of semen in Barred Plymouth Rock males… .