Qualitative analysis of ejaculates and sperm production potentials of Marshall Broiler breeders fed dietary supplementation of acetylsalicylic acid

Abstract

Twenty-four broiler breeder cocks (Marshall Breed) with an average body weight of 3.5 kg were used to determine the response of seminal parameters to different levels of supplemental acetylsalicylic acid (ASA). Four treatment diets were formulated, labelled T₁ (the control), T₂, T₃ and T₄ with 0.00% (0 mg/kg), 0.05% (500 mg/kg), 0.10% (1,000 mg/kg) and 0.15% (1,500 mg/kg) ASA in the diets respectively. The cocks were randomly distributed into these diets with six replicates in each treatment and fed for sixteen weeks during which semen collection was done once weekly in the last five weeks of the trial. The ejaculates were analyzed for spermatocrit (S), sperm concentration (SC), seminal plasma (SP), live sperm, normal sperm, abnormal sperm, dead sperm and total sperm cells per ejaculate. Results showed that SP was highest (P<0.05) while S level was lowest (P<0.05) in birds fed 1,500 mg/kg ASA. Total sperm cell/ejaculate was best at 1,000 mg/kg ASA. The correlation coefficients between these seminal parameters revealed that S was 65.50% positively (P<0.05) correlated with SP while spermatocrit and SP were 100% negatively (P<0.01) correlated. Supplemental ASA at 1,000 mg/kg had the highest gonadal sperm reserves, daily sperm production and spermatogenic efficiency. In conclusion, ASA was most beneficial to the reproductive capacity of the cocks at 1,000 mg/kg of the diet.

Keywords: Acetylsalicylic acid, reproduction, semen, testicular homogenates, testicular morphometry