title: Effect of age and sex on digestive tract morphometry of guinea fowl (Numida meleagris L.).
abstract: As guinea fowl age, their body weights and length of the esophagus and crop increased significantly, and relative length (cm x 100 g b.w(-1)) of the small intestine, caeca and total intestine decreased significantly (P < or = 0.05) in males and females. In addition, 52-week-old males had a significantly higher percentage length of rectum and heart weight, and females a significantly higher gizzard weight compared to 13-week-old birds. Compared to females, adult males differed significantly (P < or = 0.05) in the length of caeca and also in the proportion of the gizzard, proventriculus, heart and liver in total weight.
authors.affiliation: Department of Small Ruminant Biology and Environmental Biochemistry, Faculty of Animal Breeding and Biology, University of Technology and Life Sciences, Mazowiecka 28, 85-084 Bydgoszcz, Poland.
authors.forename: Daria
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kasperska
authors.forename: Dariusz
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kokoszyński
authors.forename: Henryka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Korytkowska
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mistrzak
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D008297:Male; D011200:Poultry / Q000033:anatomy & histology*