Cancer

Poultry

About Poultry

Poultry play a valuable role in the research laboratory. Chicks are used mainly to measure the biological availability of various nutrients. Because of their extremely fast rate of growth, chicks are used in nutritional biochemistry investigation in which metabolic pathways are of interest. To some degree they are valuable in assays for vitamins. Laying birds are valuable for producing eggs for virus cultures and related materials used in the production of biologicals.

Few research labs breed their own chicks. They are much more easily and inexpensively obtained from commercial hatcheries. The meat-producing chicken, a heavier breed, is most often used because they grow much faster than the lighter, egg-laying strains. But with the assay work for vitamin D3, where consistency of response is essential, the egg-laying purebred Leghorns are used.

Chicks are usually ordered from the hatchery already sexed, if that distinction is necessary. Unless the sex of the chick has been genetically linked with some other characteristic, such as a wing feather, chicks cannot be sexed reliably in the research laboratory.

Chicks need a well-ventilated, clean and uniformly lighted environment. Temperatures should be regulated according to their ages. When they first arrive at the lab, chicks should be put in battery brooders that have thermostatically controlled heating units. The brooder temperature should be decreased by five degrees each week, beginning at 95°F until the room temperature of 70 to 75°F is reached. The heat in the brooder can then be turned off. Temperatures in the chick's surrounding area should not vary more than half a degree form ceiling to floor.

The optimum relative humidity is 45-50% for chicks. At humidity levels below 40% the mucous lining of the chick's respiratory tract dehydrates, making the chick more susceptible to infection. Overcrowding, overheating or excessive lighting can lead to feather picking and cannibalism.

Custom Diets

A variety of custom diets have been formulated for poultry; we can repeat or modify any existing diet or create new formulas for your specific research requirements.

An example of a custom poultry diet –

Modified Lab Cage Layer LabDiet 5070 without added Calcium

TestDiet #5070-9

Care, Feeding, & Physiology

Care and Feeding
	Number of Adults	Number of Young		Cage Dimensions*
				Length	Width	Height
Breeding/Lactation				35 cm	25 cm	35 cm
Growing	10-20	-		75 cm	50 cm	20 cm
Experimental	10-50	-		Variable

Feeding Recommendations	Daily Feed Usage			Water Requirement		Begin Dry Food Consumption
	110-250 gm			250-500 ml/day		Immediately after hatching

Environmental Data	Room Temp.	Humidity	Light	Litter Material
	21 °C`	40-70%	14 hrs./day	Shavings, peat moss or commercial products

Biological Values
Blood Chemical Composition	Water	Calcium	Sodium	Chloride	Phosphorus	Potassium
	93-95 gm/100ml	-	-	-	-	23.4 mEq/L
Values are for plasma, except where noted	Magnesium	Cholesterol	Glucose	Serum Protein	Albumin	Globulin
Values are for plasma, except where noted	2.8 mg/100 ml	-	-	-	-	-

Oxygen Consumption and Body Temperature	Observed Weight	Temp- erature	Oxygen Consump- tion	Breathing Rate	Heart Beat Adult	Heart Beat Newborn
Oxygen Consumption and Body Temperature	-	41 °C	-	M: 12-18 /min. F: 20-30 /min	Rooster: 273+ Hen: 341+	Rooster: 243+ Hen: 279+

Hematological Values	Whole Blood Volume (T-1824 dye)	Clotting Time	RBC Life Span	RBC Diameter	RBC Rate of Sedimentation
	60-80 ml/kg	-	28 days	8.2 x 4.5 microns	-
	Blood pH	RBC	Hematocrit	Platelets	Hb
	-	-	2.8 ml/100ml	356 10³/mm³	12.0 gm/100ml

Total and Differential White Blood Cell Counts	Leucocytes	Neutros	Eosinos	Basos	Lymphos	Monos
Total and Differential White Blood Cell Counts	33 10³/mm³	9.1 10³/mm³	0.005 10³/mm³	0.09 10³/mm³	17.6 10³/mm³	4.4 10³/mm³

Life Cycle Information
	Weight Light Breeds Adult male	Weight Heavy Breeds Adult Male	Weight at Birth	Breeding Age Male	Breeding Age Female	Estrus Cycle
	2.2-3.6 kg	3.2-4.5 kg	20-50 gm	22-24 wks	18-24 wks	-
	Adult Female	Adult Female
	1.6-2.7 kg	3.6-4.1 kg	-	1.8-2.7 kg	1.4-2.3 kg
	Incubation	Rebreed After Parturition	Breeding Life Male	Breeding Life Female
	21 days	-	4-5 years (1 yr. effectively)	2-3 years (1 yr. effectively)
	Special Handling:	Avoid drafts, noise and excitement. Control lighting according to program needs. Keep cages dry. Fowl have cannibalistic tendencies.

*	Refer to the "Guide for the Care and use of Laboratory Animals" - NIH Publication No. 85-23, Revised 1985.
	Prepared by the Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources, National Research Council, 2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20418