J. Appl. Poult. Res.
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J APPL POULT RES 2003. 12:7-13
© 2003 Poultry Science Association
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Research Reports

Comb Growth During Sexual Maturation in Female Broiler Breeders

N. S. Joseph, F. E. Robinson, R. A. Renema and K. A. Thorsteinson

Department of Agricultural, Food, and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2P5

Correspondence: F. E. Robinson, E-mail: frank.robinson{at}ualberta.ca

The process of sexual maturation in the chicken is associated with an increase in circulating estradiol-17ß concentration. Researchers often rely on frequent blood sampling to measure estrogen concentration and thus to monitor the process of sexual maturation. Although reliable, this method is invasive to the animal and is not a practical technique for use on a farm. Sexual maturation also promotes the development of the comb and wattles on the chicken. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate an animal friendly and simple alternative to assess the rate of sexual maturity in female meat-type chickens by measuring the growth of the comb.

Cobb-500 broiler breeder pullets were measured for comb growth by taking a digital image of the bird's profile at 2-d intervals beginning at 20 wk of age. The images were subjected to analysis, and the height, length, and area of the comb were assessed. Blood samples were taken at 4-d intervals to correlate comb growth with plasma estradiol-17ß concentration. Photostimulation occurred at 22 wk of age. Comb growth correlated positively with plasma estrogen concentration, but an even higher correlation was found with comb size and days to sexual maturity. Assessing changes in comb growth has the potential to be used as a tool for timing sexual maturation within a breeder flock.

Key Words: comb growth • estradiol-17ß • sexual maturation • broiler breeder • image analysis






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