**3.1. Semen collection**

Primarily due to the anatomical variation of the phallic region in different birds, semen collection techniques will vary. In contrast to ratites and water-fowl with an intromittent phallus, Galliformes (chicken, turkey, and quail) do not have an intermittent organ. Their nonintromittent organ consists of folds and bulges that make contact with the female's cloaca at mating. From an anatomical perspective, there are considerable differences between the nonintromittent organs of the chicken and turkey (Figure 6). The rooster has a prominent medial phallic body and relatively small lateral phallic bodies and lymph folds. Conversely, the turkey tom has no medial phallic body but prominent lateral phallic bodies and lymph folds. Sex sorting at hatch by cloacal examination is based on the relative differences in size of these structures between the males and females.

**Figure 6.** The turkey (left) and chicken (right) cloacae are viewed with the dorsal lips of the cloacae pulled back to expose each species phallus non-protrudens. Unlike the turkey, the chicken has a central protuberance, the medial phallic body (MPB) and regressed lateral phallic bodies (LPB) and lymph folds (LF). The turkey phallus non-protrudens is characterized by dominant LPB and LF and the conspicuous absence of the MPB.

The goal of semen collector is to obtain the maximum volume of clean, high quality semen with the minimal amount of handling. In chickens and turkeys, the abdominal massage technique [1, 4] involves massaging the cloacal region to achieve phallic tumescence. This is followed by a 'cloacal stroke', a squeezing of the region surrounding the sides of the cloaca to express the semen. Little additional semen can be expressed after two cloacal strokes; addi‐ tional cloacal strokes may cause damage to the phallic and cloacal regions and contribute to semen contamination [85].

Semen should be pearly white, viscous, and clean. With each male collected, the semen collector should perform a visual examination of the semen at the time of ejaculation. This is easier with the turkey because the ejaculate accumulates on the phallus before it is collected by the 'milker' (semen collector). Off-color or watery semen, and semen contaminated with blood or fecal/ urates debris should not be used for insemination. Due to the increased volume of transparent fluid in rooster semen, which is a transudate derived from the phallus at the time of ejaculation, chicken semen is less viscous and sperm concentration lower than that of turkey semen.
