Experimental Modification of the Accessory Sexual Apparatus in the Hen

Abstract

1. Peculiarities of form and function in the accessory sexual apparatus of a number of experimental pullets, derived from eggs injected with œstrone at an early stage of incubation, are described and discussed. 2. Only one of a group of 6 females laid normal eggs when sexually mature, the remainder producing eggs devoid of shell or lacking both shell and egg membranes. This phenomenon is ascribed to an abnormality of the oviduct. 3. All the experimental birds autopsied possessed two oviducts which showed incomplete development both as regards total length and length of component parts. 4. The total weight of the two ducts approximated that of the single left oviduct in the normal hen. 5. It is suggested that either the œstrone injection to the egg interfered with the normal processes of differentiation of the mullerian duct into the sex duct in the embryo, rendering it incapable of efficient response to the hormone stimulus subsequently supplied by the functional ovary of the individual, or that the normal level of secretion of female hormone by the fowl's ovary is sufficient only for the complete development of a single duct.

Sterility and Reproductive Inhibition of Japanese Quail Induced by Mestranol Ingestion

“…Sterility was more prevalent among those female quail receiving the highest levels of mestranol (Table 1) suggesting that the response is dose dependent. As noted by other investigators (Greenwood and Blyth, 1938;, steroid sterilized birds frequently laid soft-shelled eggs ( Table 1).…”

“…Feeding quail early in life with mestranol causes a change in reproductive function similar to that observed after treatment of birds eggs with steroids (Greenwood and Blyth, 1938;Snedecor, 1949, van Tienhoven, 1957. Wentworth (1968) has reported a similar sterilizing action after young quail consume synthetic grit containing mestranol.…”

Reproductive impairment in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) after in ovo exposure to o,p'-DDT

“…Earlier studies have also shown that embryonic exposure to oestrogen (Greenwood and Blyth 1938;Rissman et al 1984) or o, p'-DDT (Bryan et al 1989) results in the production of soft-shelled or shell-less eggs. CA appears to play a crucial role in eggshell formation since inhibition of this enzyme decreases shell quality (Gutowska and Mitchell 1945;Mueller 1962;Bernstein et al 1968;Lundholm 1990).…”

Reproductive Effects in Birds Exposed to Pesticides and Industrial Chemicals

“…In females, the left oviduct is not grossly altered, but an abnormally large right oviduct may be retained. Functional changes in the left oviduct and shell gland may occur when female chicks reach adulthood, as exposed birds lay eggs with defective, thin, or soft shells (42).…”