Avian Reproduction & Breeding Flashcards
7 cards from real CAS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Avian Reproduction & Breeding flashcards as text
What term describes the hatching pattern where eggs in a clutch hatch at different times because incubation begins with the first egg laid?
Answer: Asynchronous hatching
Asynchronous hatching results from incubation beginning with the first egg laid, causing each egg to hatch at a different time and creating a size hierarchy among chicks.
Pigeon and dove crop milk is primarily composed of:
Answer: Protein- and fat-rich secretions from the crop lining epithelium
Crop milk is produced by the sloughing of epithelial cells from the crop lining under prolactin stimulation, yielding a secretion rich in protein, fat, and immunoglobulins.
When a breeding pair shows persistent aggression and attacks toward their own chicks, what is the most appropriate immediate intervention?
Answer: Remove the chicks for hand-rearing
When parent birds persistently attack chicks, the safest and most effective intervention is to remove the chicks immediately for hand-rearing to prevent serious injury or death.
Which method allows assessment of egg fertility and embryo development without cracking open the egg?
Answer: Candling
Candling involves shining a bright, focused light through the eggshell in a darkened environment to visualize blood vessel development, embryo movement, and air cell size.
A 'clear' egg discovered during candling at day 10 of incubation most likely indicates:
Answer: Either an infertile egg or very early embryonic death
A clear egg at day 10 can represent either an infertile egg or one where the embryo died very early (before visible structures formed), and both cannot be distinguished by candling alone.
What is the primary function of the air cell located at the broad end of a bird egg?
Answer: To supply the embryo with its first air during internal pipping before hatching
The air cell provides the embryo with its first breath of air as it internally pips through the inner membrane, sustaining respiration until it breaks through the shell.
DNA sexing via blood or feather samples in parrots provides which advantage over surgical endoscopic sexing?
Answer: It can be performed at any age with no anesthesia risk
DNA sexing can be performed on birds of any age — including chicks — using blood or feather follicle samples, eliminating the anesthesia risks associated with endoscopic sexing.