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Effect of
testosterone and growth hormone injection before puberty on
follicles size, rate of egg
production and egg
characteristics of the Mazandaran Native breeder hens
Z. Ansari Pirsaraei1, A. Zare
Shahneh1, M. Zaghari1, M. J. Zamiri2
and G. Rahimi Mianji3
1Department
of Animal Science, Faculty of
Agriculture and Natural Resources,
University of Tehran, Iran.
2Department
of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of
Shiraz, Iran.
3Department
of Animal Science, Faculty of Animal Science and Fishery,
Sari University of Agricultural and Natural Resources,
Iran.
*Corresponding author. E-mail:
zarbakht_ansari@yahoo.com. Tel: +989111327206. Fax:
+982612246752.
Accepted 21 July, 2008 |
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Egg shell quality and egg internal quality are of
major importance to the egg industry worldwide.
This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of
testosterone and growth hormone (hGH) on
egg production and characteristics.
The aim of this trial is to test this hypothesis that one
injection of these two hormones before puberty has any
effects on egg production of Mazandaran native breeder hens.
Two hundred native pullet used in a completely randomized
design with 4 treatments, 5 replicates and 10 hens in each
box. Hens were fed on common diet and hormones injected
subcutaneously based on body weight (BW). The four
treatments were: 1) injection of hGH (100 µg/kg BW), 2)
injection of testosterone (500 µg/kg BW), 3) injection of
hGH (100 µg/kg BW) + injection of testosterone (500 µg/kg
BW) and 4) injection of 100 µl distilled water (control).
Injection was before 5% oviposition of flock (flock
puberty). Egg production and characteristics were
determined.
Treatments affected ovary weight, small white, large white
and small yellow follicles and some egg parameters. GH and
testosterone can alter follicles size in ovary, and it is
concluded that GH+testosterone injection is more effective
on small and large follicles.
Key words:
Testosterone, growth hormone, follicle size, egg production,
breeder hen. |
