Effect of Feeding Chlorpromazine, Metyrapone and Pargyline to Chicks on Plasma Corticoid Levels and the Effect of Stress on Their Relationship to Body Weight

Feeding chlorpromazine, metyrapone and pargyline at 0, 5, 20 and 100 mg./kg. of feed from day 1 to 39 had no effect on plasma corticoid levels in stressed 39-day old S.C.W.L. male chicks. However, in non-stressed birds the effect of drug type was significant (P<0.05). Drug feeding reduced body weight at 4 weeks of age. There was no effect of either drug type or level on mortality, but there was evidence of a drug type×level interaction with respect to feed efficiency. For non-stressed chicks the correlations of 39 day plasma corticoid levels with body weight (1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 weeks) were all negative and non-significant except 4 week body weight (P<0.05). For stressed birds the correlations between corticoid levels and body weight were negative and significant (P<0.05) except for 2 week body weight.