Summary
Yolk sac resorption, with special reference to the role of the vitelline stalk, was studied in young post-hatched chickens (0, 1, and 2 days old) using a radioactive (14C-PEG-4000) and coloured (Evans Blue) marker injected into the yolk sac lumen of conscious birds. When the animals were newly-hatched and 1 day old, the radioactive material was recovered from the lumen of the gastrointestinal tract, but not when the vitelline diverticulum was tied. These results suggest a role played by the vitelline diverticulum in the removal of vitelline contents during the first post-hatching 48 h of chick life.
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Abbreviations
- DPM :
-
decays per minute
- GI :
-
gastrointestinal
- PEG :
-
polyethylene glycol
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Esteban, S., Rayó, J.M., Moreno, M. et al. A role played by the vitelline diverticulum in the yolk sac resorption in young post-hatched chickens. J Comp Physiol B 160, 645–648 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00571262
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00571262