Obesity induced by force-feeding and accompanying changes in body temperature and fertility in the male domestic fowl.
1. Excessive amounts of food (two-fold more than the ad libitum intake) introduced into the gastro-intestinal tract of three adult male fowls, for 5 weeks, caused a marked increase in body weight resulting mainly from fat deposition. 2. The induced obesity was accompanied by an increase of the rectal temperature (0-2 to 0-3 degrees C) and a decrease of the skin and comb temperatures, a cessation in the growth of the comb, a reduction in the blood packed cell volume, an eight-fold reduction in the number of spermatozoa in the vasa deferentia and a concomitant depression in their motility. 3. A decrease of the testosterone and an increase of luteinising hormone concentrations in the blood plasma was obtained in two of the three treated birds.
D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D001831:Body Temperature; D001835:Body Weight; D002645:Chickens; D003129:Comb and Wattles / Q000503:physiopathology; D005298:Fertility; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012881:Skin Temperature; D013081:Sperm Motility; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000166:cytology; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood
D013739:Testosterone; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone