Five key points of artificial insemination in raising Duck

Male ducks prepared for semen collection must be strong and have a well-developed penis. Male ducks should be isolated and reared before semen collection and properly supplemented with high-quality protein feed and vitamins. Prepare sterilized collecting cups, eyedroppers and diluents.

The method of collecting semen was induced by Taiwan duck. When collecting semen, put a female duck in the male duck pen, and when the male duck surrounds and pecks the female duck's head and climbs on the female duck's back, the semen collector uses his left hand to help it pose correctly. The middle finger and index finger of the right hand hold the collecting cup close to the tail of the male duck. When the male duck's sexual impulse reaches its peak and the tail is pressed down, the collecting cup is aimed at the cloaca, and the male duck's penis automatically stretches into the collecting cup and ejaculates immediately. Generally, each male duck can collect about 1 ml of semen at a time. Note that Taiwan ducks use the same breed of female ducks as males.

Semen dilution. The diluent and semen were mixed with 1 ∶ 1 ∶ 1. The commonly used diluent formula is glucose 1g, sodium dihydrogen phosphate 0.36g, sodium citrate 1.4g, sodium glutamate 2g plus water 100ml and shake well. First use a straw to move the semen into a clean glass, then use a straw to absorb a certain amount of diluent and slowly inject it into the cup along the inner wall of the cup, gently shake well.

Insemination operation for female ducks with plump abdomen, such as sesame ducks, often use "fallopian tube eversion insemination". During insemination, gently press the back of the duck with your foot and squeeze the lower edge of its cloacal cavity with your left hand to open it to expose the vaginal orifice. Take the eyedropper in the right hand and insert about 0.05 ml of diluted semen into the vagina, then release the left hand, and the insemination process is completed. For Muscovy ducks, "finger-guided insemination" is used. During insemination, gently insert the left index finger into the cloacal cavity, look for the vaginal orifice through the left lower side of the cavity, and use the fingertip to determine the vaginal sphincter, and the right hand inserts the front part of the seminal apparatus into the vagina along the direction of the index finger, the index finger is extracted and injected into the semen.

Note that the operation should be patient and meticulous, and the semen collected should be finished within 1 hour, otherwise it will affect the sperm motility. At the same time, we should pay attention to whether there are hard-shelled eggs in the mother duck, and if so, suspend the operation, otherwise it will damage the duck. Mating is generally chosen in the afternoon, because the mother duck is more stable at this time.