Ovarian follicular structure of white leghorns fedad libitumand dwarf and normal broiler breeders fedad libitumor restricted until point of lay

Abstract

1. Yellow follicle numbers when the first egg was laid were 6.3, 9.0 and 12.4 for ad libitum reared Leghorns, sex‐linked Dwarf (AL Dwarf) and Normal broiler breeders respectively. Multiple ovulation resulted in low egg production and a high proportion of defective egg shells in AL Dwarf and Normal broiler breeders during early lay. 2. Restricting the growth of broiler breeders during rearing by restricting food intake (R Dwarfs) reduced the number of yellow follicles to 6.8 and increased the rate of lay. 3. Atretic yellow follicles were common among broiler breeders but not in Leghorns or R Dwarfs when the first egg was laid. 4. Poor egg production in older broiler breeders was caused by birds with few or no developing yellow follicles, atresia in yellow follicles and the continued occurrence of multiple ovulations. 5. There was no relationship between the number of yellow follicles and the number of white follicles less than 5 mm diameter but atresia in white follicles 2 to dw was associated with increased atresia among the white follicles and low numbers of yellow follicles compared with the Normal DW broiler breeder genotype.