Abstract
This experiment was to investigate the age-related changes in hormonal concentration and biochemical constituents of blood plasma in Indian native desi fowl. One hundred and sixty two (54 from each breed, i.e., Kadaknath (KN), Aseel peela (AP), and White leghorn (WLH)) day-old female chicks were randomly divided into nine groups each of 18 chicks (3 groups × 3 replicates). WLH was taken in this study to compare the characteristics of Indian native desi fowl. The highest level of estrogen hormone in WLH and desi fowl in blood plasma was occurred at 18 and 24 wks of age, respectively. Whereas, the peak of progesterone hormone in WLH hens noticed around 24 wks, in case of desi fowls, it was at 30 wks of age. Irrespective of the breed, the hormonal profile of Triiodothyronine (T3) and Thyroxine (T4) in blood plasma was found highest around 6 to 12 wks of age. Activities of acid phosphatase (ACP) increased with the reduction of alkaline phosphate (ALP) activities at different time intervals. Irrespective of the breed, transaminases (glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) and glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT)) activities of blood plasma increased linearly with the advancement of the age. From this study, it may be concluded that sexual maturity of the Indian native desi fowl occurred nearly 6 wk later (24 wk) than WLH.