Volume 15, Issue 1: 2025 - Article 172

Abstract
Early events during testicular development set the stage for the male reproductive organ development and species propagation. The developmental morphology of the testes was investigated in the broiler chicken using light microscopic techniques. Fifteen (15) fertile eggs and 40 day old chicks of Marshall broiler chicken were used for this study. Samples of the testes of the pre- and post-hatch broiler chickens were collected and subjected to routine histological, histomorphometric and histochemical evaluation, following standard procedures. Results showed that on embryonic day (ED) 17, the testes contained areas of poorly formed primordial genital cords and unorganized cellular aggregations. The seminiferous cords became clearly delineated at ED 19, increasing in population as the birds aged. These cords of cells consisted of a single layer of pre-Sertoli cell and spermatogonia until post-hatch day (PD) 35, after which the seminiferous tubular profile showed several foci of cellular proliferation, including the presence of primary spermatocytes. The mean diameter of the seminiferous cords/tubules increased steadily with age while the epithelial height at PD 42 was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than in the previous post-hatch days. Reticulin histochemistry revealed the abundance of reticular fibres in the peritubular tissues and also in the loose connective tissues of the testicular insterstitium in both early and late-stage testes. In conclusion, the morphological features of the testes highlighted in this study reveal that there was comparatively a delay in seminiferous cord formation in the broiler chicken. The seminiferous cords/tubules formed, persisted as pre-pubertal testes until after PD 35, when there was an accelerated spermatogenic activity within Class 1 testes.

Keywords: Broiler chicken; Testes; Developmental morphology; Pre-hatch; Post-hatch.

How to cite this article:
Udoumoh AF, Okpe GC and Okoye CN (2025). Evaluation of the morphological development of the testes in pre- and post-hatch broiler chicken. Journal of Veterinary and Applied Sciences, 15(1): 876 – 884.


*Correspondence: E-mail:     anietie.udoumoh@unn.edu.ng      Phone: : +2348030996966

Evaluation of the morphological development of the testes in pre- and post-hatch broiler chicken

Anietie F. Udoumoh ^{1 *}, Godwin C. Okpe ¹ and Chidozie N. Okoye <sup>2

1</sup> Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria.
² Department of Veterinary Obstetrics and Reproductive Disease, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria.

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