The role of peptide hormones in the control of the growth rate of chickens

The present investigation dealt with the possibility of injecting some peptide hormones into Fayoumi chickensnamely prolac tin, vasopre ssin, somatostatin, ovine and poultry GH, to study their effects •on growth rate, changes in organ weight, food conversion and ~hemical compositionof the carcasses including moisture, fat, ash and protein percentages. In addition,in serum and pituitary gland of treated chickens. The chick-ens were divided into eleven groups of ten each divided in three categories.The first category included vasopressin, pro”lactin, oVine and poultry GH treated chickens.The second category included chickens injected withsomatostatin alone or combined with ovine or poultry GH.The third category included chickens injected with somatost-atin with adjuvant fcombined with ovine GH or poultry GH, All groups in the three categories compared with controlchickens.Effect of Vasopressin, prolactin, ovine and poultry GH :1- The maximal gain in body weight wa.s obtained in case of Fayoumi chickens injected vdth prolactin from the sixth weekf till the eleventh. Furthe~mo~e , the weight of chickens in ected with vasopressin were heavier than control starting from the nineth week till the eleventh. In contrast, the average body weights of Fayoumi chickens injected with ovine