Semen collection and baseline semen characteristics of the king quail (Synoicus chinesis)

Assisted breeding technology has important management implications for avian conservation and aviculture but species-specific reproductive information is lacking. This study aimed to develop a successful semen collection for the king quail (Synoicus chinesis) in order to establish baseline seminal c...

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Main Authors: Isabella Wong, Robert Doneley, Stephen Johnston
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-01-01
Series:Theriogenology Wild
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2773093X24000485
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author Isabella Wong
Robert Doneley
Stephen Johnston
author_facet Isabella Wong
Robert Doneley
Stephen Johnston
author_sort Isabella Wong
collection DOAJ
description Assisted breeding technology has important management implications for avian conservation and aviculture but species-specific reproductive information is lacking. This study aimed to develop a successful semen collection for the king quail (Synoicus chinesis) in order to establish baseline seminal characteristics and to explore the effect of flock density on seminal quality. A total of 19 quail consisting of 2 groups of 5 and 4 and 1 group of 10 were housed in 3 separate aviaries located at the University of Queensland, Gatton, Australia during Spring. Morphometrics and morphology (normal and abnormal) of the sperm cells were also described by phase contrast and differential interference microscopy. Semen was sucessfully collected by cloacal massage from 90 % of attempts with only minor evidence of faecal or urate contamination. No significant differences in seminal characteristics were found with respect to bird housing density. Mean ± SEM seminal characteristics for 103 ejaculates included volume (1.6 ± 0.02 μL), sperm concentration (8.1 ± 0.5 × 109 mL–1), progressive sperm motility (50.0 ± 0.04 %), rate of sperm motility, (2.9 ± 0.13), pH (6.7 ± 0.2), the percentage of live sperm (88.0 ± 0.01 %) and the percentage of total abnormal sperm morphology (21.0 ± 0.03 %). Cloacal massage proved to be a highly successful technique to collect king quail semen and the seminal characteristics reported here are the future basis of assessing fertility and the application of assisted breeding in the species.
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series Theriogenology Wild
spelling doaj-art-7d649dc1d96d4b869c55e2f14e6fe1c02024-12-12T05:24:50ZengElsevierTheriogenology Wild2773-093X2024-01-015100117Semen collection and baseline semen characteristics of the king quail (Synoicus chinesis)Isabella Wong0Robert Doneley1Stephen Johnston2School of Environment, The University of Queensland, Gatton 4343, Australia; Correspondence to: University of Queensland Gatton Campus, School of Environment, Australia.School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton 4343, AustraliaSchool of Environment, The University of Queensland, Gatton 4343, Australia; School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton 4343, AustraliaAssisted breeding technology has important management implications for avian conservation and aviculture but species-specific reproductive information is lacking. This study aimed to develop a successful semen collection for the king quail (Synoicus chinesis) in order to establish baseline seminal characteristics and to explore the effect of flock density on seminal quality. A total of 19 quail consisting of 2 groups of 5 and 4 and 1 group of 10 were housed in 3 separate aviaries located at the University of Queensland, Gatton, Australia during Spring. Morphometrics and morphology (normal and abnormal) of the sperm cells were also described by phase contrast and differential interference microscopy. Semen was sucessfully collected by cloacal massage from 90 % of attempts with only minor evidence of faecal or urate contamination. No significant differences in seminal characteristics were found with respect to bird housing density. Mean ± SEM seminal characteristics for 103 ejaculates included volume (1.6 ± 0.02 μL), sperm concentration (8.1 ± 0.5 × 109 mL–1), progressive sperm motility (50.0 ± 0.04 %), rate of sperm motility, (2.9 ± 0.13), pH (6.7 ± 0.2), the percentage of live sperm (88.0 ± 0.01 %) and the percentage of total abnormal sperm morphology (21.0 ± 0.03 %). Cloacal massage proved to be a highly successful technique to collect king quail semen and the seminal characteristics reported here are the future basis of assessing fertility and the application of assisted breeding in the species.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2773093X24000485Japanese quailCoturnix japonicaSpermatozoaCloacal foamAvian reproduction
spellingShingle Isabella Wong
Robert Doneley
Stephen Johnston
Semen collection and baseline semen characteristics of the king quail (Synoicus chinesis)
Theriogenology Wild
Japanese quail
Coturnix japonica
Spermatozoa
Cloacal foam
Avian reproduction
title Semen collection and baseline semen characteristics of the king quail (Synoicus chinesis)
title_full Semen collection and baseline semen characteristics of the king quail (Synoicus chinesis)
title_fullStr Semen collection and baseline semen characteristics of the king quail (Synoicus chinesis)
title_full_unstemmed Semen collection and baseline semen characteristics of the king quail (Synoicus chinesis)
title_short Semen collection and baseline semen characteristics of the king quail (Synoicus chinesis)
title_sort semen collection and baseline semen characteristics of the king quail synoicus chinesis
topic Japanese quail
Coturnix japonica
Spermatozoa
Cloacal foam
Avian reproduction
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2773093X24000485
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AT robertdoneley semencollectionandbaselinesemencharacteristicsofthekingquailsynoicuschinesis
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