Gross and Microscopic Anatomy on Small Intestine of the Kadaknath Fowl

The present study was aimed at promotion and advancement of the knowledge with respect to the gross morphometry, histology, histochemistry and electron microscopy of the small intestine in Kadaknath breed of poultry from the day of hatch to day 112. The changes in intestinal size and morphology with age were different in the three intestinal segments examined. Histologically the mucosa of entire small intestine showed villi of variable shapes and sizes according to age. The cells which formed the surface of villi and glands were arranged in simple columnar epithelium comprised of the chief or main epithelial cells, the goblet cells and the enterochromaffin cells. The chief cells of the glands of Lieberkuhn differed from those of the villi.The SEM study revealed, finger-like villi in day old chicks in each intestinal segment.Ultrastructurally, the duodenal villous epithelium at day 1 revealed chief cells having basally located oval nucleus and prominent nucleolus.The results obtained indicate that the changes observed in different age groups may contribute significantly in satisfying the functional requirements of the indigenous poultry breed during development.