Features of blood selection in kurchat broilers of different age
Authors: Sakara V. , Melnik A. , Moskalenko P. 
Published: July 2019

Depending on age and live weight in the bird, blood can be taken in different places: by performing a puncture of the shoulder (subclavian), jugular, medial tibial veins, of the occipital sinus, of the heart, and through decapitation in the day-old young. But not all of these methods are practical and suitable for all types and periods of time in the poultry. The article describes two practical methods of life-time selection of blood in chickens-broilers of the cross-breed COBB-500 of different ages. Blood in day-old chicks is taken for the purpose of early diagnosis of deficiency of micro-and macro elements. In chickens that were hatched after 12 hours at a mass of at least 30 grams of blood, they were taken from a right jugular vein with an insulin syringe of 1 ml and then received 0,5-0,6 ml of whey individually from each chicken. Thanks to this, the chick remains alive and after 7 days it allows you to take blood again for further research. A subcutaneous vein subunit for taking blood in broiler chickens after 7 days and up to 17 days is better to use a syringe of 2 ml, as this is less injurious to the vein, but it is better to carry out this procedure with the assistant. It is more practical to make blood collection in chickens from 18 to 42 days using an injection needle with a pink cannula (18 G) and a polypropylene tube with a tufted lid that will allow it to remove up to 5 ml of blood from one bird and get enough serum for it biochemical studies.
An important stage in the diagnosis of internal bird diseases, in particular metabolic etiology, is blood research. This allows us to diagnose the subclinical stages of illness associated with an imbalance of metabolic processes in an organism of productive and exotic birds. Therefore, one of the important measures in the establishment and confirmation of the diagnosis, as well as the study of the effectiveness of therapeutic treatments – is the selection of blood. Anatomical features of the body structure of various types of agricultural and exotic birds require the modification and modernization of blood selection technologies and make adjustments to the selection of the appropriate sites for manipulation. Blood in the bird collapses fast enough – 20-30 seconds, which makes it impossible to remove enough of it in young birds. In order to obtain the required volume of quality blood and its serum, it is necessary to take into account the age, physiological and productive qualities of birds. The most recent features were the development of new and improved existing methods of blood sampling in poultry.
In the bird, blood can be taken by performing a puncture of the shoulder (subclavian), jugular, medial tibial veins, of the occipital sinus, of the puncture of the heart, and of the decapitation in a day-old youngster. The bird has a relatively small percentage of blood volume by weight, approximately 6-7,5%. The amount of blood that can be taken will depend on the weight of the bird, the skill of the researcher and the rate of blood coagulation. It is not necessary to take more than 1% of the blood from the body weight or 10% of the total blood volume, and the next selection is desirable to do not earlier than 14 days. Also, after the selection, hematoma may develop, which may lead to vascular collapse, so it is advisable to introduce warm isotonic solutions.
Blood was taken with a 1 ml insulin syringe with a removable needle (29 g) from the right jaw vein. The jugular vein is the largest peripheral vein in the bird, in smaller species and chickens, this may be the only large enough place to select a significant amount of blood for diagnostic testing. The puncture was carried out in day-old chicks, 12 hours after hatching.
Before the blood was taken, a clinical examination was performed, and weighing chickens. In those whose body weight was less than 30 grams blood was not taken. Fixed the chick in the left hand a little while turning to the left side, holding his neck
between the index and the without limbs, pressing the chicken body with his thumb to the palm, thus best visualizing the jugular vein. At the site of the puncture, a fluff was pulled out and rubbed with 70% ethyl alcohol. Then gently at an angle of
10-20 ° the needle was injected into the vein and the blood was drawn slowly. As a rule, when a needle is correctly placed in the vein, the blood begins to fill the syringe reservoir. When selecting a syringe, use the thumb and forefinger, and slowly
pull the syringe piston gently without tilting the needle. If the blood does not enter the syringe, the beveled edge may be against the vein or the needle may get stuck. Gently release the pressure on the piston and slightly bend the tip.
Injecting needles, needleless needles or syringes of 2-10 ml may be used for venous puncture. To prevent blood coagulation, the lumen of the needle can be pre-moistened with a 5% solution of heparin. Blood can be taken from glass, polypropylene or fluoroplastic test tubes.
Key words: broilers chickens, blood selection, jugular vein, subcrine vein.