Abstract
The aim of this experiment was to study the dimension of red blood cells in broilers under heat stress. Broilers at 21 days of age were maintained at two environmental temperatures: thermoneutral (26 ± 2°C) and high (38 ± 2°C) for 21 days. The morphometrics of red blood cells (length, width and thickness) were investigated on days 1, 4, 7, 11 and 21 of the experimental period. The results revealed that, on days 7 and 21, the length of the red blood cells in the broilers maintained at high environmental temperature were significantly higher than that of the broilers at thermoneutral environmental temperature (P < 0.05). In addition, on days 11 and 21, the thickness of the red blood cells in the broilers maintained at high environmental temperature was significantly higher than that of the broilers at thermoneutral environmental temperature (P < 0.05). However, high environmental temperature had no effect on the width of the red blood cells in the heat stressed broilers. These data suggest that when broilers were exposed to high heat for more than 7 days, the length and thickness of their red blood cells increased while the width of their red blood cells remained unchanged.
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