Composition of Blood of Normal Turkeys

Abstract

VERY little information on the composition of the blood of normal turkeys is available. Scott, Serfontein, and Seiling (1933) state there is no published information of this kind prior to their report of the analysis of samples from fifteen young turkeys. We are unaware of any similar information published since then, except the tables on blood composition published by Duke (1942). In relation to an experiment being conducted with breeding turkeys it seemed desirable to determine whether the concentration of certain blood constituents of the hens could be related to fertility and hatchability of their eggs. MATERIALS AND METHODS All the turkeys used in this study were from the Experiment Station’s flock and had been on a feeding experiment for five months. The birds had been kept on alfalfa range and hopper fed mash, grain, and oyster shells. They were approximately sixteen months old at the time of the first . . .