Age of Dam and Response to Selection for Increased Weight of the Bursa of Fabricius in Day-Old Chicks

THE function of the bursa of Fabricius, a lymphoendothelial gland of birds, is rather obscure. Glick (1956) emphasizedthe rapid growth of the bursa of Fabricius during the first few weeks after hatching of the chicken. During the past few years, a number of research reports have demonstrated that it is involved in the production of some antibodies in the chicken (Chang, Rheins and Winter, 1957, Rheins and Winter, 1959; Glick, Chang and Jaap, 1956; Glick, 1956, 1960; and Mueller, Wolfe and Meyer, 1960). The involvement of this gland in the stress complex is indicated by the reports of Perek and Eilat (1959, 1960); and Newcomer and Conally (1960). Since the bursa begins to atrophy as early as six weeks after hatching in the Leghorn chicken, its physiologica l function can be of importance only during the first few weeks of its life. The role of this gland in the physiology of the young…