STRESS RESPONSE IN JAPANESE QUAILS (Coturnix coturnix japonica) TO PHYSIOLOGICAL ALZET-OSMOTIC PUMPS

An experimental model was developed to study stress in Japanese quails. Physiological Alzet-osmotic pumps were used to deliver constantly adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) at a defined dosage level over specified period. Total of one hundred and twenty (120) quails were allocated into 12 pens (Three ACTH-treated pens and nine control pens; three each for NHC, PSO, SAL). Each pen contained eight experimental female quails and two extras males. The experiment was design produced five replications with two subsamples. The experiment commenced when the quails were five weeks of age. The experimental quails were assigned to received ACTH treatment via Alzet-osmotic pump calibrated to deliver 0.15 IU ACTH/g BW/day for 14 continuous days (35 to 49 d). However, the controls were neither assigned to pumps nor pseudo operated. The method used for control groups include non-handled control (NHC), pseudo-surgical method (PSO), and surgical pump implantation delivering saline (SAL) as three standard controls. It was found that constant delivery of ACTH at 0.15 IU/g BW/day for 14 days (35 to 49 d) caused elevation in plasma corticosterone (CORT), cholesterol (CHOL), glucose (GLU), triglycerides (TRI), total protein (TP), heterophil/lymphocyte (H/L) ratio, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL). The results of this experiment demonstrate that constant delivery of ACTH by Alzet-osmotic pumps is an excellent model to study stress in quails.