This article is available online at http://www.jlr.org secretion of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) from the hypothalamus stimulates the release of the pituitary gonadotropins, luteinizing hormone (LH), and folliclestimulating hormone (FSH), which in turn activate gonadal development and release of sex steroids, including estradiol (E2) and testosterone. Stress is a common problem disrupting breeding in either wild birds or domestic chickens ( 1 ). Glucocorticoids (GC), as the fi nal effectors of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, participate in the control of whole body homeostasis and the arousal of stress responses. GCs transmit information about environmental conditions to the HPG axis, which ultimately infl uences the timing of breeding.Female kittiwakes with low baseline LH levels and elevated levels of baseline corticosterone (CORT), the main form of GCs in avians, were more likely to skip breeding ( 2 ). An experimental reduction of CORT release during the prelaying period was associated with an advancement of egg laying in female kittiwakes ( 3 ). In domestic chickens, an acute infusion of CORT resulted in a pause in laying and a severely reduced ovarian weight ( 4 ). Chronic and repeated exposure to CORT during the rearing phrase suppressed reproductive performance, resulting in a delay of fi rst egg laid and a reduction of egg production ( 5 ).In avians, the development of ovarian follicles is accompanied by the deposition of a large amount of yolk. During a laying cycle, follicular development is matched with a supply of yolk precursors. Triacylglycerols (TG), the main