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COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE

UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FOOD AND ENVIRONMENT, LEXINGTON, KY, 40546

ASC-199

Avian Male Reproductive System


Jacquie Jacob and Tony Pescatore, Animal Sciences

T he avian male reproductive


system is all inside the bird,
unlike the males of mammalian
Fertility is affected by both the
male and the female, and the fertil-
ity of both tends to decrease as the
species which have their reproduc- birds get older. Flock fertility is de-
tive systems outside of the body. pendent on the reproductive status
This is one of the really remark- of the birds (i.e., level of egg and
able things about birds; the sperm semen production) combined with
remain viable at body temperature. the birds’ interest and capability
While female birds only have one of mating. From the female side,
mature gonad (i.e., ovary), both are the decline in fertility is believed
developed in male birds. Similarly, to be due to faster release of sperm
while female birds are hatched from the sperm storage tubules.
with the total number of ova they They are not able to store sperm as
will ever have with no new ova long, so more frequent mating is
produced once hatched, male required. From the male side, it is
birds continue to produce sperm presumed that there is a decrease
while sexually mature. While male in sperm quality as the rooster
birds continue to produce sperm ages, as well as a decrease in mat-
Figure 1. Reproductive tract of a male
for many years, the quality of the chicken. Jacquie Jacobs. ing activity. There is also typically
sperm decline with age, reducing an increase in early embryo death
fertility.  when the hatching eggs come from
The male chicken possesses two birds. Applying external pressure hens in the second half of their
testes, located along the chicken’s in this area will result in ejacula- reproduction cycle. These early
back, near the top of the kidneys tion. This method is used for the deaths often appear as clears and
(Figure 1). The testes are elliptical collection of sperm when artificial may be mistaken for infertile eggs
shaped and light yellow in color. insemination is being used. when candling or breaking out
Each vas deferens (ducts which The main goal of a poultry unhatched eggs.
transport sperm from the tes- breeder is to produce hatchable
tes) opens into a small bump, or eggs. You must have a fertile egg to Capons
papilla, which is on the back wall hatch a chick. Fertility, the per- Capons are castrated male
of the cloaca. The papillae serve as centage of eggs produced that are poultry, typically chickens, in a
the mating organ. The incorrectly actually fertile, is a very important process referred to as caponiza-
named rudimentary copulatory statistic in hatching egg produc- tion. As previously indicated, the
organ is located on the middle and tion - the higher the percentage the testes of male birds are located
front portion of the cloaca and is better. If an egg is not fertile it will inside the body so castration is a
used to classify the sex of baby not, of course, contain an embryo surgical procedure. When the tes-
chicks. and no chick will hatch. Simply tes are removed, the male bird fails
The vas deferens is also the main put, hatchability can never be bet- to develop certain male character-
area for sperm storage in male ter than fertility. istics or tends to lose them if they
are already developed.

Agriculture and Natural Resources • Family and Consumer Sciences • 4-H Youth Development • Community and Economic Development
EXTENSION
When chickens take longer to
reach market weight the older meat
tends to become rather coarse,
stringy, and tough as the rooster
ages. Caponized males grow more
slowly than normal male chickens
and accumulate more body fat.
Deposits of fat in both the light
and dark meat of capons is greater
than that of intact males resulting
in a meat that is more tender and
juicier. The older the age at which
capons are slaughtered the more
flavorful the meat. With major
improvements in the genetics of
meat breeds, caponization is not
necessary. The fact it is a surgical
procedure makes it difficult and ex-
pensive and raises ethical concerns.  Figure 2. Smoked capons in the display case of a store. Jacquie Jacobs.

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endorsement and does not imply approval to the exclusion of other suitable products or firms.

Educational programs of Kentucky Cooperative Extension serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability, or national origin. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts
of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, M. Scott Smith, Director, Land Grant Programs, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Lex-
ington, and Kentucky State University, Frankfort. Copyright © 2013 for materials developed by University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension. This publication may be reproduced in portions or its entirety for
educational or nonprofit purposes only. Permitted users shall give credit to the author(s) and include this copyright notice. Publications are also available on the World Wide Web at www.ca.uky.edu.
Issued 11-2013

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