Early Involutionary Changes in the Post-Ovulatory Follicles of the Ring-Necked Pheasant

Abstract

The post-ovulatory follicles of artificially-propagated pheasants involute rapidly within a period of 5 days after ovulation. Further involution is a very slow process and results in small pigmented structures which persist for at least 15 days post-ovulation. The involuting post-ovulatory follicle provides a basis for determining ovulation rates in artificially-propagated pheasants during the breeding season and provides a method for studying ovulation rates in wild pheasants as related to population problems.