Heat production and lipid metabolism in broiler and layer chickens during embryonic development

Momoka Sato, Tetsuya Tachibana, Mitsuhiro Furuse

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

87 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We compared heat production (HP) and lipid metabolism in broiler and layer chickens (Gallus gallus) during embryonic development. To investigate HP and respiratory quotient (RQ), oxygen (O2) consumption and carbon dioxide (CO2) production were measured using an open-circuit calorimeter system. HP consistently had a tendency (P = 0.06) to be lower in broilers than in layers during embryonic development, and HP gradually decreased with developmental stage in both strains. RQ values of both strains were approximately 0.7 at every embryonic stage investigated. These results suggest that chicken embryos mainly use lipid for energy, and the RQ was significantly lower in broilers than in layers during embryonic development. Consumption of the yolk sac as a lipid source was faster in broilers than in layers. Plasma D-3-hydroxybutyrate (D3HB) and glycerol concentrations, associated with fatty acid oxidation, were lower in broiler than layer embryos. These results demonstrate that HP and lipid metabolism are different between the strains during embryonic development, and may be one factor for the growth difference between broiler and layer embryos.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)382-388
Number of pages7
JournalComparative Biochemistry and Physiology - A Molecular and Integrative Physiology
Volume143
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2006

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Biochemistry
  • Physiology
  • Molecular Biology

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