Temporal dynamic of adrenocortical and gonadal photoresponsiveness in male Japanese quail exposed to short days

The study evaluated whether different short-term endocrine testicular and adrenocortical responses to short photoperiod exposure can persist over time and particularly when birds exhibit spontaneous cloacal gland recovery. At 11 wk of age, 33 male Japanese quail exposed to long photoperiod were switched to short photoperiod (8L:16D). Another group of males was kept under long photoperiod (n = 11). After 5 wk of short photoperiod exposure, quail were classified as nonresponsive or responsive to short photoperiod, depending on whether the cloacal gland volume was above or below 1,000 mm3 and with or without foam production, respectively.

Source: Domestic Animal Endocrinology - July 4, 2014 Category: Endocrinology Authors: M.F. Dominchin, R.H. Marin, R. Palme, J.M. Busso Source Type: research