Effects of Improving Health Status on Testicular Development of Guinea Fowl (Numida meleagris) Reared under Natural Photoperiod in the Sudanian Zone of Burkina Faso

Cherubin Hien, Ollo; Diarra, Boureima; Brillard, Jean-Pierre; Boly, Hamidou; Sawadogo, Laya

Research Article

**Effects of Improving Health Status on Testicular Development of Guinea Fowl (Numida meleagris) Reared under Natural Photoperiod in the Sudanian Zone of Burkina Faso**

Ollo Cherubin Hien, Boureima Diarra, Jean-Pierre Brillard, Hamidou Boly and Laya Sawadogo

ABSTRACT

This study concerns the effect of improving health status on testicular development of local guinea fowl reared under natural photoperiod. Two groups of 100 males of guinea fowls chicks were used for the study. One group (T1) served as control and did not received any treatment while the second group (T2) received several treatments including anti-stress, trichonomacid, anticoccidies, dewormer and vaccination against New Castle disease. Results showed no difference in body weight at 28 weeks of age between the 2 groups. However at 24 weeks of age birds in T2 had higher values for mean testicle weight (286±70 versus 148±34 mg). Parameters for seminiferous tubes were also higher for T2 birds: mean volume (74±0.3 versus 63±6.6% of testicle volume), mean diameter (126±24 versus 89±13 μ) and mean length (6.4±0.4 versus 5.1±1 mm). Improved health status also increased population numbers of spermatocytes I, rounds spermatides and interstitial cells. Differences were significant at 20 weeks of age for Sertoli cells. Spermatogenesis starts at 24 weeks of age for T2 birds but at 28 weeks for T1 birds.

PDF References Citation

How to cite this article

Ollo Cherubin Hien, Boureima Diarra, Jean-Pierre Brillard, Hamidou Boly and Laya Sawadogo, 2011. Effects of Improving Health Status on Testicular Development of Guinea Fowl (Numida meleagris) Reared under Natural Photoperiod in the Sudanian Zone of Burkina Faso. International Journal of Poultry Science, 10: 113-119.

DOI: 10.3923/ijps.2011.113.119

URL: https://scialert.net/abstract/?doi=ijps.2011.113.119

REFERENCES

Amann, R.P. and J.O. Almquist, 1962. Reproductive capacity of dairy bulls. VIII. Direct and indirect measurement of testicular sperm production. J. Dairy Sci., 45: 774-781.
CrossRef Direct Link
Brillard, J.P. and M. de Reviers, 1981. Testis development and daily sperm out put in guinea-fowl raised under constant dayly photoperiods. Reprod. Nutr. Dev., 21: 1105-1112.
CrossRef
Kennelly, J.J. and R.H. Foote, 1964. Sampling boar testes to study spermatogenis quantitatively and to predict sperm production. J. Anim. Sci., 23: 160-167.
Direct Link
Brillard, J.P. and M. de Reviers, 1985. Testis development and daily sperm out put in guinea-fowl submited to progressively increasing daily photoperiods at different ages. Poult. Sci., 64: 713-717.
Brown, N.L., J.D. Bayle, C.G. Scanes and B.K. Follet, 1975. Chicken gonadotrophin: Their actions on the testes of immature and hypophysectomized Japanase quail. Cell Tissue Res., 156: 499-520.
Chalkley, H.W., 1943. Method for the quantitative morphologic analysis of tissues. J. Nat. Cancer Inst., 4: 47-73.
Orgebin-Crist, M.C., 1968. Gonadal and epidymal sperm reserves in the rabbit: Estimation of the daily sperm production. J. Reprod. Fert., 15: 15-25.
Direct Link

International Journal of Poultry Science