Fowl semen as collected by the massage method

Abstract

1. The reflex ejaculation responses of cocks to lumbar massage have been examined, and some basic reactions described. A list of the crude fluid components obtained by the massage technique of semen collection is given.2. From these observations, and a chemical test on the contents of the hen's vagina after natural and artificial insemination, it was deduced that the normal ejaculate of the cock is composed mainly of contents from the vasa deferentia, with some secretions from the mucosal glands of the vascular bodies and lymph folds. The blood plasma transudate sometimes expelled into the semen is obtained as a result of compression of the terminal organs during the collection procedure.3. Points emerging from the observations on ejaculation, and the search for the normal constituents of semen are discussed.