Effects of blood sampling by cardiac puncture on subsequent body weights of broilers.
The effects of blood sampling via cardiac puncture in broiler chicks 2 to 4 weeks of age on subsequent body weights were examined in three experiments. No differences were found in chicks bled or stabbed with 18, 22, or 25-gauge needles when compared to chicks not blood sampled. However, male chicks bled at both 2 and 3 weeks of age with a 25-gauge needle demonstrated elevated body weights at 8 weeks of age when compared to chicks not blood sampled.
D000818:Animals; D001800:Blood Specimen Collection / Q000662:veterinary*; D001835:Body Weight; D002645:Chickens / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart; D008297:Male; D011677:Punctures / Q000662:veterinary*; D012737:Sex Factors