title: Differential leucocyte responses to various degrees of food restriction in broilers, turkeys and ducks.
abstract: 1. White blood cell responses of broilers, turkeys and ducks were examined at regular intervals after being subjected to various degrees of food restriction. 2. Restricted-fed broilers showed increases in heterophil and basophil numbers, together with a corresponding decrease in lymphocytes. The heterophil/lymphocyte ratio was raised. There were no differences between broiler strains. 3. After only one week of feeding restricted diets, heterophils were significantly raised in selected and unselected 2-week-old ducks. At 21 weeks of age, those ducks receiving 50% of food required to achieve their ad libitum-fed body weight had raised heterophils. 4. Ducks receiving food to achieve 25% of ad libitum-fed birds produced a marked basophilia, but no heterophilia. 5. After two weeks of food restriction, turkeys responded with significant heterophil/lymphocyte ratios following two degrees of restricted feeding. 6. It was concluded that in some poultry, a heterophilia may be the response to mild to moderate stress but a basophilia may result after severely stressing birds.
authors.affiliation: AFRC Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Edinburgh Research Station, Roslin, Midlothian, Scotland.
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Maxwell
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Hocking
authors.forename: G W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Robertson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D002645:Chickens / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D004372:Ducks / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005508:Food Deprivation / Q000502:physiology*; D007958:Leukocyte Count / Q000662:veterinary; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D008297:Male; D014422:Turkeys / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*