Semen Quality and Fertilizing Ability of Roosters Semen Diluted with Quail Egg-yolk Supplemented with Polar and Non Polar Dried Garlic Extracts

Aim: This study was designed to assess the potentials of dry garlic extracts to improve rooster semen quality for on-farm hen insemination.

Study Design: Completely randomized design in a factorial arrangement.

Place and Duration of Study: Poultry unit of the Teaching and Research Farm, Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology Igboora, Oyo State, Nigeria. The study lasted for eight weeks.

Methodology: Dry garlic was processed to obtain its aqueous, ethanolic and methanolic extracts using standard procedures. The extracts were assessed for percentage free radicals scavenging ability and supplemented in egg-yolk citrate extender. The semen parts were randomly allotted to three extender containing different extracts in different concentrations and eight nested inclusion. The extender was diluted with the semen in ratio 2:1. The samples were assessed for semen quality Parameters: pH, mass activities, motility, livability and sperm concentration. The extended semen samples that possess sperm motility above 50% were further considered for artificial insemination to assess in vivo fertilizing ability of the sperm cells. A total number of 120 hens were allocated randomly to each treatment at 5 hens/treatment. The hens were everted and extended semen was deposited into the intra vagina of the hens. The hens were inseminated twice weekly in the evening for a period of 6 weeks.

Results: Aqueous garlic extracts performed better than its associate when supplemented into Quail egg-yolk citrate extenders for semen quality evaluation, evident by better mass activities, motility and viability across the inclusion levels. Higher fertility and hatchability was recorded across the treatments (3-6) with aqueous garlic extracts comparable to unextended semen performance.

Conclusion: Aqueous garlic extract supplemented in quail egg yolk used as a poultry semen diluents, exhibited better antioxidant potential and has further elicited better sperm quality by enhancing in-vivo fertilizing potential of the sperm cells than the other two counterpart extracts.