title: Morphology of the oviduct of commercial egg-laying hens supplemented with organic minerals.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the morphology of the oviduct of commercial egg-laying hens supplemented with organic minerals.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 2,400 Dekalb hens at 42 weeks of age were included in the study. Throughout the period of the experiment (10 months, divided into 4 periods of 10 weeks each) a supplement was administered. The animals were divided at random into 2 groups, each consisting of 1,200 hens: Group I, the control group of hens that did not receive the supplement, and Group II, the group of hens that were administered the supplement. The morphology of the oviduct was evaluated; all tests were performed from 52 to 82 weeks. After the hens were sacrificed by cervical dislocation, fragments of the oviduct were collected, 10 hens per group, which were fixed in Bouin liquid for 6 hours. Then they were processed and analyzed for light microscopy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Analyzing the hens' oviduct, there was no change in weight of organs, but microscopy revealed that the hens' oviduct epithelium in Group II was preserved, with uniform cilia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Based on our results we can conclude that the organic mineral supplementation causes an improvement in hens' oviduct morphology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology and Embryology, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. jupinto2@bol.com.br
authors.forename: Juliana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Medeiros
authors.forename: Luciana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Borba
authors.forename: Lígia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Estevão
authors.forename: Felipe José Feitoza
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Bastos
authors.forename: Fábio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mendonça
authors.forename: Joaquim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Evêncio-Neto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005260:Female; D005527:Food, Fortified; D008345:Manganese / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008903:Minerals / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D010057:Oviducts / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000187:drug effects*; D012643:Selenium / Q000008:administration & dosage; D015032:Zinc / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D008903:Minerals; D008345:Manganese; D012643:Selenium; D015032:Zinc