Efficacy of egg-yolk citrate extender fortified with aqueous garlic extract on rooster semen for artificial insemination

Abstract

An experiment was designed to harness the potential of aqueous fresh and dried
garlic extracts supplement in egg yolk extender for rooster semen to improve fertility
and hatchability of egg. Aqueous extract of fresh and dry garlic were obtained and
supplemented into egg yolk-citrate buffer at 0,1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7% for treatments 2,
3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, respectively and unextended semen as control (T1) A total of 20
Marshal roosters and 160 hens of 40 weeks old were used for the experiment. The
ejaculate pool of the marshal roosters was collected and pooled, divided into eight
equal parts and randomly allotted to the treatment groups, the extenders were
diluted with the semen in ratio 2:1 and evaluated for semen quality parameters. The
hens were inseminated with the constituted extenders for three weeks and eggs were
collected for the period of two weeks. The eggs were assessed for fertility and
hatchability. The results obtained showed that livability of sperm cells and semen pH
were not adversely affected by the treatments. The percentage sperm motility was
high and within 80% to 100% in all aqueous dry garlic inclusive extended semen
compare to aqueous fresh garlic extended semen which recorded 60% at 5% and 6%
fresh garlic inclusion in egg yolk extender. The result of fertility of hens inseminated
with egg yolk-aqueous dry garlic extracts extended semen showed that treatments 7
(5%) compare favourably with treatment 1 (unextended) with highest fertility
percentage value of 80.0%. Aqueous fresh garlic extract inclusions of 2% and 6%
had apparently better percentage values compare to unextended treatment.
Inclusion of aqueous fresh garlic extracts at 6% in egg-yolk extenders, and 5%
inclusion of aqueous dry garlic extract to egg yolk extender are recommended as an
extender in roosters' semen extension.