Journal of Veterinary and Applied Sciences

Abstract
In this study, young chicken pullets were treated with sulfaquinoxaline-diaveridine (SD) prior to onset of egg production, and its effects on their ovaries and oviducts were investigated. A total of twenty 13-week-old pullets were used for the study. They were randomly assigned to four groups: an untreated control group (Group I) and three treatment groups (Groups II, III and IV) that received SD for varied durations: Group II – received SD for one week; Group III – received SD for two weeks; and Group IV – received SD for three weeks prior to expected onset of egg production. The SD was administered in drinking water (2.4g SD in 4 litres of water). Gross morphological examination revealed that pullets in the all groups possessed underdeveloped oviducts, which is expected at this pre-laying stage. However, birds in the SD-treated groups exhibited visible signs of vascular congestion and mild inflammation of the oviduct. Histological evaluation showed that the general tissue architecture of the oviduct remained intact across all pullet groups, with no marked structural alterations attributable to SD exposure. In contrast, the ovaries of treated birds, particularly in Groups III and IV exhibited varying degrees of follicular degeneration, including disrupted follicular organization and cellular breakdown. Stereological analysis demonstrated a significantly (p < 0.05) lower follicular volume in SD-treated groups, when compared to the untreated control, with the most pronounced effects recorded in birds subjected to prolonged exposure to SD. Overall, the results indicate that prolonged SD treatment exerted detrimental effects on ovarian follicles of chicken pullets treated just before point of lay. These findings raise concerns about the potential of SD use in pullets compromising reproductive capacity, and highlight the need for cautious use of SD in growing pullets, and also underscore the importance of further studies to elucidate the long-term reproductive consequences and underlying mechanisms of SD-induced ovarian damage.

Keywords: Sulfaquinoxaline-diaveridine; Chicken pullets; Ovaries; Oviduct; Histology; Stereology; Follicular disruption.

How to cite this article:
Zubairu M, Sulaiman MH, Ali MN, Musa WI, Muazu TA, Baso A, Ajeigbe SO and Abiyere E (2026). Gross morphometry, histology and stereological evaluation of the ovaries and oviducts of young chicken pullets given oral sulfaquinoxaline-diaveridine therapy for varied durations before onset of egg production. Journal of Veterinary and Applied Sciences, 16(2): 1684 – 1692.

Correspondence: E-mail: dr01mansur@gmail.com Phone: +2347034980639

Gross morphometry, histology and stereological evaluation of the ovaries and oviducts of young chicken pullets given oral sulfaquinoxaline-diaveridine therapy for varied durations before onset of egg production

Mansur Zubairu ¹*, Muhammad H. Sulaiman ¹, Magdalene N. Ali ¹, Waziri I. Musa ², Tauheed A. Muazu ³, Abdullahi Baso ³, Sherif O. Ajeigbe ⁴ and Ese Abiyere ¹.
¹ Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.
² Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.
³ Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria.
⁴Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Agriculture, Zuru, Nigeria.