Effect of Unfertilized Breeder’sEggs and Ginger as Feed Supplement on Semen Quality and Fertility of Broiler Breeder Chickens

Résumé

Seventy eight cocks (4.50 - 5.50 kg live weight) and 130 hens(3.0–3.5 kg live weight) aged 40 weeks, of Marshall R
breed were used to study to determine the effect of supplementing the breeder diets with unfertilized eggs and
ginger on semen quality and fertility of broiler breeder chickens. The experimental birds were housed in battery
cages and were divided into thirteen treatments of 6 cocks and 10 hens. Birds were fed commercial layers diet
which was supplemented with egg and ginger at 1% and 1.5% once and twice per week for 8 weeks. Semen
samples were collected between 6.30 - 7.30 am and analyzed for fertility parameters. Semen motility, semen
viability, semen concentration, morphology of sperm cells and fertility all shows superior result in ginger
supplemented groups T6, T8, T9, respectively while semen volume was higher in egg supplemented group T5. At
the end of the experiment all groups except for the control group shows a better performance in terms of semen
quality and fertility with ginger supplemented group showing a better semen quality and fertility than the egg
supplemented groups.