Artificial Insemination

[BOF33]

I not seen recipes that requires "lots" of salt in a pumpkin pie. I had two people ask me to one for them on their birthday. As sweet potato pie is mmmmmm.

Try unseasoned pumpkin and the seasoned version. It will make any ordinary pumpkin come alive! Pumpkin is sweet.. hence the salt to balance the overall taste!

[BluJay]

Centrifuging would damage the sperm. Finch sperm is extremely small in comparison to mammalian sperm, and has a very different shape. Live sperm could be gathered by inducing the bird to copulate with a model bird and collecting the ejaculate, by clocal massage (depending on species- more easily done with polygynous birds), or potentially by collecting the wet part of a faecal sample (more likely to be deformed/damaged, and brings up possible issues with bacterial infection). It would need to be put into an avian-specific sperm medium and kept cool- I don't know enough about preservation of live sperm to comment on the practicality of it, sorry :/

Thanks Nikki_K, what you have to say is very interesting. I'm going to have really learn about this, as I did with dogs. Watching my friend with her coturnix, she pushed an area that a white foam came out. With the dog, they used a pharmone that simulated a bitch in heat to arouse the dog. They then would masturbate the dog, catching the ejaculate in test tube. It was then centrifuged to separate the sperm from the seminal fluid. Then medium was added. It is then packed with dry ice and shipped.
What you have said is what I'm going to have to learn. As I have learn about the lack of coagulation of their blood. Now, this stuff is interesting to me. Thank you. And thank you Tailfeathers for starting the thread. Regards.

[Tiaris]

If the breeders of the top stud birds you are seeking to purchase will not sell their top birds to you, why would they be prepared to have very intrusive procedures carried out on the same birds' reproductive organs? With the size of bird we are talking it simply is not practical or realistic to expect this to take place.
Surely you can purchase the best available birds (whatever standard that may be) of the type(s) you are after and selectively improve them from that point with your own breeding.

[Diane]

If occasionally the species you require are available from wholesalers, then why not buy those when available and buy other pairs from elsewhere, then mix the pairs. May take you a little longer but you would be more likely to get unrelated pairs and can start your own line without having to resort to invasive, expensive and possibly negative outcome procedures.

[casehulsebosch]

When we purchase straws( Semen) for our specialized cattle we are looking at purchasing a minimum of 50 straws. As the rarity of the breed goes up so does the price per straw.
Imagine buying 50 straws of canary/zebra finch semen?

I am with Graham. Find it hard to take this topic serious.

If we were taking here about the Chatham Island Robin, which was critically endangered with only one hen bird left in the world!, but no the conversation goes about canaries and zebbies. I ask you?

Go and have a look around Europe and you will see canaries and zebbies like you have never seen before. You can even bring them back with you (via Mexico border if need be ) saves AI.

cheers, Case.

[TailFeathers]

When we purchase straws( Semen) for our specialized cattle we are looking at purchasing a minimum of 50 straws. As the rarity of the breed goes up so does the price per straw.
Imagine buying 50 straws of canary/zebra finch semen?

I am with Graham. Find it hard to take this topic serious.

If we were taking here about the Chatham Island Robin, which was critically endangered with only one hen bird left in the world!, but no the conversation goes about canaries and zebbies. I ask you?

Go and have a look around Europe and you will see canaries and zebbies like you have never seen before. You can even bring them back with you (via Mexico border if need be ) saves AI.

cheers, Case.

Sorry for the endangered bird. I'm really sorry, but then you had to take away the seriousness with some jokes. Maybe positive attitude?

Look, There are many points to AI especially for canaries and European goldfinches. Besides the business points of getting straws like you say, there are many scientific discoveries that could be made with inseminating canaries and the rEason is, because it is so difficult to do it.

I don't really like to sit there and explain point for point, because when I do the original intent of the topic gets sidetracked like it is now.

I personally don't understand why some are against inseminating birds. For me, I think it would be great for a great variety of reasons... But as they say in America... "Whatever floats your boat".

[Niki_K]

Centrifuging would damage the sperm. Finch sperm is extremely small in comparison to mammalian sperm, and has a very different shape. Live sperm could be gathered by inducing the bird to copulate with a model bird and collecting the ejaculate, by clocal massage (depending on species- more easily done with polygynous birds), or potentially by collecting the wet part of a faecal sample (more likely to be deformed/damaged, and brings up possible issues with bacterial infection). It would need to be put into an avian-specific sperm medium and kept cool- I don't know enough about preservation of live sperm to comment on the practicality of it, sorry :/

Thanks Nikki_K, what you have to say is very interesting. I'm going to have really learn about this, as I did with dogs. Watching my friend with her coturnix, she pushed an area that a white foam came out. With the dog, they used a pharmone that simulated a bitch in heat to arouse the dog. They then would masturbate the dog, catching the ejaculate in test tube. It was then centrifuged to separate the sperm from the seminal fluid. Then medium was added. It is then packed with dry ice and shipped.
What you have said is what I'm going to have to learn. As I have learn about the lack of coagulation of their blood. Now, this stuff is interesting to me. Thank you. And thank you Tailfeathers for starting the thread. Regards.

With quail, cloacal massage (what your friend would have done) is the way to go- same with wrens etc. They produce copious amounts of sperm which forms a cloacal protuberance, which would be what she pressed on. It's often more difficult with finches as they tend not to have large cloacal protuberances. Interesting about the centrifuging of mammalian sperm- it makes sense, but I would be concerned about it damaging the tails, unless it was run at very low rpms. Finch sperm looks rather like a corkscrew with a tail attached, but like I said, I don't know enough about preserving live sperm to comment on the best methods.