Authors : O.A. Amao , V.A. Togun , A.F. Akindele , I.O. Oladunjoye and G.O. Tona
Abstract: Three hundred (300) 8-weeks old cockerels were used in a 5x2 factorial experiment to determine the effect of cottonseed cake and clomiphene citrate administration on some reproductive characteristics of the cockerels. They were randomly allocated to ten treatments of 30 birds per treatment and replicated into 3, each replicate containing 10 birds. Treatments contained cottonseed cake (CSC) meal at 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100% replacement levels for groundnut cake which were either supplemented with clomiphene citrate or not. Treatments 1 to 5 (D1, D2, D3, D4 and D5) were not supplemented with clomiphene, while treatments 6 to 10 which had the same inclusion levels of CSC (D6, D7, D8, D9 and D10,) were supplemented with clomiphene citrate. Results showed that treatment had significant (p<0.05) effect on testis weight, parenchyma weight and testis volume. Birds on treatments 2 and 7 (D2 and D7) with 25% CSC had similar testis weight and testis volume with those on the control diet (D1). However, they had significantly (p<0.05) higher values for these two parameters than those on other treatments. Degeneration and necrosis of germcells did not follow any definite pattern but varied in degree of severity. Severity of condition appeared to be higher for dietary treatments without clomiphene citrate administration than for those with clomiphene administration. It could be concluded that cottonseed cake could replace up to 25% of GNC in the diets of growing cocks when it is supplemented with clomiphene citrate administration.
O.A. Amao , V.A. Togun , A.F. Akindele , I.O. Oladunjoye and G.O. Tona , 2006. Effect of Cottonseed Cake and Clomiphene Citrate Administration on the Reproductive Characteristics of Hacco Cocks. Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances, 5: 946-948.