Thermoregulatory effects of abdominal air sacs on spermatogenesis in domestic fowl

¹ Department of Physiology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado

In an attempt to determine if the posterior abdominal air sacs exert a cooling effect on the testes of the domestic rooster, thereby facilitating normal spermatogenesis, the air sacs were surgically removed and the testes insulated with surgical cotton. No significant difference was found in the semen quality between the control and experimental groups. Comparison of the testicular, air sac and rectal temperatures showed no significant differences. It is suggested that the air sacs do not cool the testes of the rooster and that the germinal epithelium of the rooster has adapted to the high body temperatures and produces normal spermatozoa at this temperature.