Effects of method of mating on fertility in broiler breeder hens.

Sexually mature commercial broiler breeder pullets were housed singly in laying cages or in floor pens and mated by means of artificial insemination alone, natural mating and natural mating supplemented by artificial insemination. The best fertility, was obtained by the combination method where natural mating was supplemented with artificial inseminations of 0.05 or 0.025 ml of undiluted pooled semen twice a week. Other reproductive traits including percent hatch of fertile eggs and chicks per hen were not affected by method of mating.