CHEMICAL CHANGES IN THE BLOOD COMPOSITION OF CHICKENS AND TURKEYS FED SYNTHETIC ESTROGENS

Abstract

Data are reported to show the effect of estrogens on the blood constituents of both chickens and turkeys when administered orally, injected in oil suspensions and implanted in pellet form. Diethylstibestrol, dianisylhexane, dianisylhexene, triphenyl-chloroethylene alone and accompanied by lecithin and soybean oil were studied. Both the cholesterol and the total fatty acid content of the blood increased phenomenally due to the presence of estrogens. Estrogens injected in an oil soln. produced blood changes in a few hours. Oil solns. fed orally were much more effective than implanted pellets. The maximum changes by either method occurred within the 1st wk. and the blood returned to practically normal within a wk. after withholding the estrogens. Bones of young chickens, fed estrogens over long periods of time, often appear more fragile, though ash analyses of tibia showed no significant change in Ca or P content of the tibia.