Uploaded May 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
Originally presented at OE3C 2021: oe3c.com
Describing turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) primary wing feather growth: implications for biomarker measurement
Emily M. Leishman*, Nienke van Staaveren, Don R. McIntyre, Jeff Mohr, Benjamin J. Wood, Christine F. Baes, Alexandra Harlander-Matauschek
Abstract: It is now common to use feathers to non-invasively measure physiological biomarkers in both wild and domestic avian research. Biomarkers, such as glucocorticoid hormones, are believed to be deposited in the feather structure in a time-dependent manner throughout feather growth. If this is true, then the rate of deposition, and concentration measured in the feather, must be affected by feather growth rate and molting patterns. To make inferences about factors affecting the deposition of substances in the feather, it is important to know when the feathers appear and when their growth ceases. The objective of this study was to provide an updated account for the juvenile primary feather molting pattern and feather growth rates for domestic turkeys as part of a larger study investigating feather corticosterone as a novel welfare phenotype. The ten primary wing feathers (P1 – P10) of 48 female turkeys were measured weekly from week 1 (0 days of age) to week 20. Feathers were manually measured, and the presence or absence of each primary feather was recorded weekly. Generalized linear mixed models were used to investigate if feather growth differed between the primary feathers and to provide estimates for feather growth rate. The molting of the juvenile primary feathers followed a typical descending pattern starting with P1 (5 weeks of age) while P9 and P10 had not molted by the end of the study (20 weeks of age). Average feather growth rate was 2.4 cm/week, although there was a significant difference between the ten primary feathers (P less than 0.0001, 2.1 – 2.8 cm/week). Over time, the rate of feather growth was not constant; feather growth reached a peak soon after emergence and then declined until the feather molted. This study provides a critical update of the pattern of molting and feather growth in primary wing feathers of modern turkeys. This can have implications for the interpretation of physiological biomarkers in this species, such as the longitudinal deposition of glucocorticoids.
Originally presented at OE3C 2021: oe3c.com
Describing turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) primary wing feather growth: implications for biomarker measurement
Emily M. Leishman*, Nienke van Staaveren, Don R. McIntyre, Jeff Mohr, Benjamin J. Wood, Christine F. Baes, Alexandra Harlander-Matauschek
Abstract: It is now common to use feathers to non-invasively measure physiological biomarkers in both wild and domestic avian research. Biomarkers, such as glucocorticoid hormones, are believed to be deposited in the feather structure in a time-dependent manner throughout feather growth. If this is true, then the rate of deposition, and concentration measured in the feather, must be affected by feather growth rate and molting patterns. To make inferences about factors affecting the deposition of substances in the feather, it is important to know when the feathers appear and when their growth ceases. The objective of this study was to provide an updated account for the juvenile primary feather molting pattern and feather growth rates for domestic turkeys as part of a larger study investigating feather corticosterone as a novel welfare phenotype. The ten primary wing feathers (P1 – P10) of 48 female turkeys were measured weekly from week 1 (0 days of age) to week 20. Feathers were manually measured, and the presence or absence of each primary feather was recorded weekly. Generalized linear mixed models were used to investigate if feather growth differed between the primary feathers and to provide estimates for feather growth rate. The molting of the juvenile primary feathers followed a typical descending pattern starting with P1 (5 weeks of age) while P9 and P10 had not molted by the end of the study (20 weeks of age). Average feather growth rate was 2.4 cm/week, although there was a significant difference between the ten primary feathers (P less than 0.0001, 2.1 – 2.8 cm/week). Over time, the rate of feather growth was not constant; feather growth reached a peak soon after emergence and then declined until the feather molted. This study provides a critical update of the pattern of molting and feather growth in primary wing feathers of modern turkeys. This can have implications for the interpretation of physiological biomarkers in this species, such as the longitudinal deposition of glucocorticoids.
