Pre-Hatch Growth and Development of Selected
Internal Organs of Domestic Duck (Anas
platyrhynchos)
Anas Sarwar Qureshi1*, Ziaullah1,
Malik Zohaib Ali1 and Asad Manzoor2
1Department
of Anatomy; 2Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery,
Faculty of Veterinary Science University of Agriculture Faisalabad
38040, Pakistan *Corresponding author: anas-sarwar@uaf.edu.pk
Abstract
Normal growth and development pattern of selected
internal organs of domestic duck (Anas
platyrhynchos) during pre-hatch period was studied in this project. Tongue,
esophagus, proventiculus, gizzard, small and large intestines, liver, kidneys,
trachea, lungs, brain, eye balls and heart were studied for morphometric
measurement. A total of 120 healthy fertile domestic duck eggs were equally
divided into 24 groups (n=5). Eggs were weighed, labeled and incubated. All
groups were examined during incubation; collection of embryos was started from
day five on daily basis but recordable observations were obtained from day 10 of
incubation. Means and standard errors of mass and length of selected internal
organs were calculated for each age group till hatching. Growth rate of duck was
measured by applying Janoscheck growth curve to age group means. Results
revealed a sigmoid to exponential growth curves for organs’ maturity. Growth
pattern grouped organs into: eyes, brain and trachea with early rapid growth;
liver and some digestive organs having intermediate growth; while heart, lungs,
kidneys and esophagus attained maximum maturity towards the end of incubation.
It is conceivable from the data that most of the parameters under study show
complex allometry, i.e., the ratio of relative growth rates between organ and
whole body changes several times however, these transitions are gradual.