A method of artificially inseminating a hen (e.g. a canary, finch or other small bird) includes the steps of securing a male bird (20,45 Fig 2), applying a semen extender liquid to the tip of a cloacal protuberance of the male bird (90, 135 Fig 3), squeezing the cloacal protuberance to extract semen from the male bird into the semen extender liquid to form a mixture (95,140 Fig 3), applying a tip of a pipette to the mixture (110, 155 Fig 3), drawing the mixture into the pipette (115, 160 Fig 3), securing the hen (200 Fig 3), inserting the pipette into the hens cloaca (205, 230 Fig 3), and squeezing a blub of the pipette to inject the mixture from the pipette into the cloaca (210, 235 Fig 3). A holding device for restraining a bird during sperm collection and artificial insemination procedures has a base 5, an arm 7 extending upward from the base, and an open-ended receptacle 10 connected to the upper end of the arm which restrains an upper portion of the bird in use.
