Gross appearance of turkey cloacae before and after single or multiple manual semen collections

The gross appearance of the turkey cloaca was examined before and after single or multiple semen collections. All cloacae exhibited some degree of hemorrhage formation, the extent of which was dependent upon 1) frequency of semen collection, 2) number of cloacal strokes, and 3) individual differences in semen collectors' techniques. Cloacae of males subjected to multiple semen collections of more than four cloacal strokes per semen collection were the most severely injured. Cloacae examined three days after the last semen collection were nearly normal in appearance. It is suggested that cloacal hemorrhages resulting from semen collection can be minimized by 1) reducing the number of cloacal strokes per semen collection to one or two and 2) using the correct hand placement and pressure on the cloaca during the cloacal strokes.