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Selection of Young Broiler Breeders for Semen Quality Improves Hatchability in an Industry Field Trial

Poultry Science Department, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762

Correspondence: C. D. McDaniel, E-mail:cmcdaniel{at}poultry.msstate.edu

Previous laboratory research has shown that the sperm quality index (SQI) is predictive of broiler breeder fertility. The SQI is a tool to estimate overall semen quality by monitoring the number of times that sperm movement causes deflections within a light path. An industry field trial was undertaken to determine if life of flock hatchability could be improved by selecting young males for house placement based on the SQI. The SQI was used to select males at 26 wk of age. Males with an SQI in approximately the top 80% of the population were moved into two hen houses, whereas the lower 20% of the SQI population was culled. Two control houses received males selected solely on physical appearance. Life of flock hatchability was improved by 1.1% in the SQI-selected houses over that of males selected for house placement based on physical characteristics alone. The males selected for the SQI numerically outperformed the control males in 64% of the hatches with the greatest difference in hatch occurring during postpeak production. This increase in hatch resulted in 21,000 more chicks being produced in the two houses containing SQI-selected males. In conclusion, the SQI is a useful tool for accurately identifying the reproductive ability of broiler breeder roosters throughout a complete laying cycle.

Key Words: broiler breeder • fertility • hatchability • semen • sperm quality index