CONTENT
Methods of Mating in Poultry: Pair, Stud, Pen, Flock and AI
Mating systems play an important role in poultry breeding by influencing fertility, pedigree identification, genetic selection, and the efficient use of breeding males. Different mating methods are used depending on the species, housing system, breeding objectives, and management practices. The major methods include pair mating, stud mating, pen mating, flock or mass mating, shift mating, and artificial insemination.
Each system has specific advantages and limitations that determine its suitability for different poultry breeding programs.
Different types of mating are practiced in poultry breeding. These methods include:
- Pair mating
- Stud mating
- Pen mating
- Flock mating
- Shift mating
- Artificial insemination
Pair Mating
One male is mated with one female in an enclosure. This method is commonly used in ostrich and emu breeding. It allows accurate recording of pedigree; therefore, selection for egg production can be conveniently performed. However, it requires more space per pen and is therefore uneconomical.
Another disadvantage is that this system may be associated with reduced fertility when preferential mating occurs. Incompatibility between the two birds in a pair, as may occur with forced pairing by the breeder, may result in fighting and injuries.
Stud Mating
The usual procedure in this system is to keep a male confined at all times in a small individual pen or coop within a larger pen. In this method, females are mated individually with a male by allowing them into the coop. By this method, the number of females mated to a cock is greater than with pen mating.
Hens are mated at least once a week to obtain optimum fertility. Although it involves more labor, it results in producing more offspring from valuable males.
Pen Mating
The usual method of pedigree breeding in chickens is to segregate a single male with a group of breeder hens during the breeding period. In this system, the cocks and hens can be identified by leg bands or wing bands, and trap nesting makes it possible to identify the parentage of the chicks produced.
In this system, fertility is lower than with flock mating because some hens prefer certain cocks and vice versa. The identity of the parentage can be well established in this system.
Flock Mating or Mass Mating
In this system, a number of males are allowed to run with the entire flock of hens. This system is widely used in breeding. It permits selective mating by both sexes. Competition among males also leads to more frequent mating and results in better fertility compared with pen mating. About 10 to 15 hens can be mated to one male in light breeds and 6 to 8 females in heavier breeds per cock.
Pedigree records are not maintained in this system of mating. In turkeys, a male-to-female ratio of 1:5 is used because of the large body size of turkey toms. In quails, a mating ratio of 1 male to 2 or 3 females at most is essential for obtaining the desired fertility.
Artificial Insemination
When breeders are housed in cages, mating is performed by artificial insemination. Usually, fresh, undiluted, pooled semen is collected and used immediately. In chickens, 0.1 mL of semen is usually administered. Artificial insemination is a common practice in commercial turkey flocks to obtain optimum fertility because turkeys may be unable to mate properly due to their large body size and broad breasts.
Insemination is usually performed when a hard-shelled egg is not present in the oviduct and when most of the eggs have been laid, which is usually in the afternoon. Hens are inseminated twice a week initially, followed by a single insemination during subsequent weeks. This schedule has been found to provide optimum fertility.
