Skip to main content
ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #163891
Title: OVIDUCTAL PROLAPSE LED TO MORE THAN ELEVEN PERCENT OF HENS DEAD IN A HIGHLY INBRED LINE OF WHITE LEGHORN CHICKENS

Author
item Zhang, Huanmin
item PANDIRI, ARUN - MICHIGAN STATE UNIV
item Kulkarni, Gururaj - Raj

Submitted to: International Conference on Production Diseases in Farm Animals
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/19/2004
Publication Date: 7/19/2004
Citation: Zhang, H., Pandiri, A.R., Kulkarni, G. 2004. Oviductal prolapse led to more than eleven percent of hens dead in a highly inbred line of white leghorn chickens [abstract]. International Conference on Production Diseases in Farm Animals. p. 108.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Oviduct prolapse is a serious and often deadly condition where the oviduct of a hen protrudes through the vent, which results in reduced egg production and higher disease susceptibility. Oviduct prolapse was observed in three consecutive generations of a highly inbred white leghorn line where the mortality ranged from 3.7 to 11.3%. It is reported that oviductal prolapse may be caused by nutritional imbalance, escalated by lower plasma concentration of 17 beta-estradiol, or over-sized eggs. Our data showed that the frequency of incidence was different between some of the maternal families. Furthermore, selection for non-prolapsed hens as breeders reduced prolapse incidence in subsequent generations. These preliminary results suggest that genetics might play a role in governing the occurrence of the condition.