Semen qualities of normal and frizzle feather strains of domestic cocks treated with or without tocopherol

Abstract

The study was conducted to evaluate the effect of tocopherol on the semen characteristics of two genotypes of indigenous Nigerian cocks. Seventeen (17) indigenous breeding cocks comprising of 9 frizzle and 8 normal feathered cocks selected randomly from their natural breeding habitat in Ilorin, Kwara State were treated with or without tocopherol to improve reproductive potential of the birds. The tocopherol was administered intramuscularly at 0.02ml/kg body weight.  Semen was collected twice weekly for six weeks post treatment from the cocks using the abdominal massage technique and analysed for semen characteristics.  Sperm concentration was significantly (p<0.05) higher in cocks treated with tocopherol; 2.31×10⁹±0.25/ml for frizzle feathered and 2.72×10⁹±0.42/ml for Normal feather than those without tocopherol; 0.72×10⁹±0.30/ml (frizzle feathered) and 0.44×10⁹±0.03/ml (Normal feathered). Semen volume was significantly higher for normal feathered cocks treated with tocopherol (p<0.05) than frizzle feathered cocks treated with tocopherol. There was no significant effect (p>0.05) of genotype and tocopherol treatment on sperm motility, live sperm cells, dead sperm cells and abnormality. There were generally very poor correlations between semen characteristics of cocks (those treated with tocopherol and those without tocopherol) except for live sperm and motility which consistently correlated negatively with dead sperm cells. Tocopherol treatment improved the semen quality of indigenous cocks.