Ontogeny of Blood Parameters in the Domestic Fowl Gallus gallus domesticus: I. Blood Cells and Haemoglobin

Ontogeny of Blood Parameters in the Domestic Fowl Gallus gallus domesticus: I. Blood Cells and Haemoglobin

The paper presents the ontogeny of 8 (from 27 investigated) haematological parameters in the precocial fowl Gallus gallus from hatching through the beginning of sexual maturity (week 18) to week 22: We found significant increases in the parameters responsible for O2-transport, immune defence, protein metabolism, and muscle growth (e.g. number of erythrocytes RBC, haemoglobin Hb, mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration MCHC), but also in total protein, calcium, creatine kinase, aspartate aminotransferase (see introduction). Increases in mean cell volume of erythrocytes (MCV), glucose, triglycerides, uric acid, lactate dehydrogenase, and alkaline phosphatase are presumably due to growth requirements and tissue development. No marked ontogenetic changes were found in mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH), and haematocrit (PCV). The number of white blood cells (WBC) does not show constant increases or decreases but a very high flexibility (especially in lymphocytes).