Ovarian Follicular Growth and Maturation in Coturnix Quail

Abstract

USING a fat-soluble dye feeding technique, the phase of rapid ovarian development in turkeys (Bacon and Cherms, 1968) and chickens (Bacon and Skala, 1968) has been denned as the ability of follicles to accumulate fat-soluble dye along with yolk material. In quail this includes all follicles of greater than about 2.0 mm. diameter. Follicular maturation occurs when an ovum ceases rapid development. Rest is the period between maturation and oviposition excluding the day on which each occurs. The clutch is denned as the uninterrupted daily succession of eggs, or an egg between pauses, and the pause is the day or succession of days on which no eggs are laid. In both turkeys and chickens, increases were noted in ovum weight and the duration of rapid development with increasing age, while clutch length and position in the clutch had no effect. The rest period was independent of clutch length and the…