Effect of vaginal douching and different semen extenders on bacterial load and fertility in turkeys.

1. A study on artificial insemination of Beltsville Small White turkeys investigated the effect on bacterial load and fertility of vaginal douching with diluents containing Gentamicin 400 microg/ml and different semen extenders. 2. Irrespective of the extenders used, vaginal douching with Gentamicin reduced the microbial load of the vagina with resultant improvement in fertility and hatchability and corresponding reduction in embryonic mortality. 3. Eggs from hens inseminated with semen extended with Beltsville Poultry Semen Extender (BPSE) diluent along with vaginal douching showed a trend towards higher per cent fertility and per cent hatchability of total and fertile eggs set compared to other extenders, though this was non-significant.