Sexual Maturiry Of Fayomi Chicken With Special Reference To Iodine Supplementation

The investigation was oarried out at the Poultry Breeding Experimental Farm, Faoulty of Agriculture,Menoufia University, Shebin El .• Koill, A.R.E.The aim was to study sexual maturity age of Fayoumichicken under t1le prevailing conditions, with special .refr&1nee to iodine effect.The experiment extended for six months started from February 1976. It includes 462 ohioks of one day old.A,diet oontaining ( 22.~ crude protein and )060 K eal M ’B I,Kg ) and water offered adlibitum~ The birds were div:;’ded ’into two equa L groups, one of which was offered potasslt\1’ll•iodide in water in a ooncentration of 115mS iodino/11t~c ~d theseoond group was oonsidered as control. The live body weight was- reoorded monthly. .. Ten birds of each sex from both trea- ted and control were selected at random and slaughteredmonthly until the end of the expt. estes, ovary, comb and wattles, thyroid and pituitary were weighed, and histo-logical samples from testes and thyroid were prepared.