Effect of giving insulin and adrenalin alternately on changes in the level of blood glucose in chickens of different breeds

Abstract

Differences in reaction to exogenous insulin and adrenalin were studied among chickens of 'Leghorn', 'White Rock' and 'Rhode Island Red' breeds, using level of blood glucose as indicator of the reaction to hormones. It was found that: 1.) The physiological quantity of glucose in blood in chickens of the three breeds ranged from 157 to 194 mg %. 2.) The reaction of chickens to insulin and adrenalin given alternately, measured by changes of blood glucose, differed according to the breed. The smallest reaction to hormones was in 'Leghorn', the biggest in 'White Rock'. 3.) The chickens of 'Leghorn' and 'Rhode Island Red' breeds, as well as 'Leghorn' and 'White Rock' breeds, differed significantly in maximal glucose level after adrenalin, 4.) The correlation between the normal quantity of blood glucose and the body weight of birds appeared highly significant in cockerels of all three races combined.