Bacterial contamination in fowl semen collected by four methods, Hiroshima method of the authors, Old method (Abdominal massage) and New method (Milking) of BURROWS & QUINN, and Condom method were investigated comparatively.
The total bacterial count was the largest in the semen by New and Old method, and was the smallest in the one by Hiroshima method. The bacterial number in the latter semen was about one-tenth of the former.
Most probable numbers of coliform bacteria and enterococcus group bacteria as an indicators of faecal contamination were the smallest in the semen by Hiroshima method, of the four collecting methods.
From these results, Hiroshima method is the most useful method for collecting of semen from the cock, in the viewpoint of bacterial contamination.
Examination of 16 semen samples revealed the presence of the following bacteria: Micrococcus, Diththeroid, Gram negative rods, Strettococcus, Enterococcus group, Coliforms, Bacillus and Stathylococcus.