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REPRODUCTION
For Males
Testes of birds are located inside the
body cavity (mammals outside; enclosed
by scrotum)
Vas deferens in birds opens to the
Cloacal wall (mammals opens into the
seminal vesicle)
No penis, but has rudimentary organ of
copulation known as papillae (used in
sex determination of chicks)
No intromission during copulation;
sperm deposited in female through
“Cloacal Kiss”
For females
Produces young that are not suckled or fed with milk
Egg is laid outside the body and much larger than in mammals
No well-defined estrous cycle or pregnancy/gestation period
Has sperm-host glands in the oviduct that store and maintain
viability of sperm for longer periods of time
Sperm stored in the oviduct are capable of fertilizing the eggs
for about 10 days in chicken and 30 days in turkey.
Reasons why chickens may be mated once every about 10 days
(or 1 week) or once a month for turkey and still produce
fertile eggs.
Testes
Internally placed
paired (intra-
abdominal testis)
rather scrotal testes
Located just anterior
to the kidneys and are
attached to the dorsal
body wall
Left gonad larger than
the right
Testes
Soft and lack the CT septa commonly found in mammals
Composed of numerous ST with less Leydig cells
Body temperature – 41-42oc
No accessory sex glands
Male Reproduction
Copulatory organ – phallus
Granulosa layer is
surrounded by thecal layers,
which are well vascularized
and innervated and are
active in steriodogenesis
Follicular structure
Avascular band, the stigma, is present on each follicle, and it is
along this band that follicular rupture occurs when oocyte is
released
No structure analogous to the CL of mammals forms in these
postovulatory follicles
Follicular growth
Characteristic stages of the growing follicle depend on
the amount of yolk
Immature follicles – white
Growing follicles – yellowish due to yolk
Yolk <lipid, water, proteins, vitamins and minerals>
Yolk proteins, lipids: liver + estrogen
Yellow color: xanthophyll pigments – diet
Follicular growth
➢ Phase 1
Slow deposition of neutral fat around oocyte
Color – still whitish
Happens several months
➢ Phase 2
Deposition of the yellow yolk
Follicles increase in size – 1 mm to 6 mm in diameter
Lasts for several weeks
Follicular growth
➢ Phase 3
Rapid growth phase
Main mass yolk is deposited to the growing follicles
Yolk synthesized by the liver under the influence of
estrogen
Yolk protein is released to the blood stream →
sequestered by the ovary → and deposited around
the growing follicle
Oogenesis
Persist for 2 – 3 days thereafter
As the ovary matures and individual follicles begin to
grow, the blastodisck (a small round white disc,
Containing the chromosomal material of the ovum) is
seen under the vitelline membrane
Before ovulation, the oocytes completes the first meiotic
division, but meiosis is not completed until the
Blastodisck is penetrated by a spermatozoon
1st reduction division occurs 2 hrs before ovulation of
the follicle
Oogenesis
After fertilization, the blastodisck is termed a
blastoderm
By the time the egg is laid, the blastoderm is an embryo
(can be identified with the naked eye when examined)
Meiosis II happen after fertilization
Hormonal regulation of oogenesis
1. Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)
➢ Functions:
Growth and maturation of follicles
o Promotes uptake of yolk proteins by ovarian
follicle
Stimulate estrogen secretion (with LH)
Hypothalamus
Stimulate GnRH neurons
Increase synthesis and release of GnRH
Ovary
Hormonal regulation of oogenesis
2. Estrogen
Principal estrogen produced by avian estrone,
17β-estradiol, 17α-estradiol
Stimulates the production of precursor of yolk in the
liver
Follicles (F1 to F5)
Granulosa cells – main source of progesterone
synthesis bound to growing follicles
Synergistic actions of progesterone and LH necessary for
ovulation
Hormonal Regulation of
Ovulation
Luteinizing Hormone (LH)
o Regulated by progesterone produced by ovary
o LH is released 6-8 hrs prior to ovulation
Movement of Ovum Through
the Oviduct
Initially when the ovum is released, the infundibulum
encloses the ovum in wave-like advances which may take
between 13-25 minutes
Contraction of muscles of upper part of oviduct
Peristaltic activity of remaining parts of oviduct
Ovulatory cycle
Ovulatory cycle of the domestic hen is about 24 – 26 hours
long, and cycles may occur for many days without
interruption. Eggs laid day after day without interruption are
called a clutch
When hens are young and laying at a very high rate, the
interval between ovulations and the time required to form an
egg may approximate 24 hours.
Very long clutches are possible
As hens age, the interovulatory intervals within a clutch
approach 25 to 26 hours and shorter clutches result
Ovulatory cycle
Ovulation and oviposition are not absolutely related
Mature hens
Ovulatory cycle - ~ 25-26 hrs thus shorter clutches
FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE CYCLES
“Internal layers” – uncatched ovum which remains
inside the abdomen (broad)
Similar to ectopic pregnancy
Surge of LH prior to ovulation dictates egg formation
In chickens, LH surge is limited only to darker part of
days (7 pm to 5 am)
4-8 hrs prior to ovulation there is LH surge
Anterior Pituitary Hormones
Secretes same hormones as the mammalian pituitary
gland
LH
FSH
Prolactin
STH
ACTH
Show common properties with mammalian hormones
but also have distinct differences in the their biological
activities and chemical properties
Anterior Pituitary Hormones
Hypothalamic GnRH regulates the release of avian
gonadotropins (LH and FSH) from the anterior Pituitary
➢ cGnRH (Chicken GnRH) stimulate secretion of
anterior pituitary gland
Two active cGnRH isolate from chicken’s
hypothalamus
o GnRH 1 → has a glutamine residue rather than
arginine found in mammalian GnRH
o GnRH II → differs in 3 of the 10 amino acids
residues.
Anterior Pituitary Hormones
Prolactin release is under stimulatory control of the
hypothalamus rather than the chronic inhibition
characteristic of mammals
A number of peptide regulates its release:
1. Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide
Prolactin releaser responsible for the
hyperprolactinemia associated with incubation
2. Thyrotropin releasing hormone
3. Arginine vasotocin
4. Neurotensin
Anterior Pituitary Hormones
Neurotransmitters evoke the release of prolactin from the
avian pituitary
Serotonin appears to be the most important,
Dopamine plays a minor role in prolactin release in
birds and its effect is inhibitory as in mammals
Posterior Pituitary Hormones
Neurohypophyseal hormones of birds have Antidiuretic,
oxytocic, and vasoactive actions