42 POULTRY DISEASES 



THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS OF THE HEN 



The physiological basis of reproduction of the female fowl 

 is the left ovar}- and left oviduct. The right ovary and ovi- 

 duct are absent, due to the fact that they degenerate during 

 ein])ryonic life. 



The ovary is located in the sul)luiiil)ar region of the ab- 

 dominal cavity and to the right of the median line and touch- 

 ing the left adrenal gland and just anterior to and below the 

 anterior portion of the kidney. It is located superior to the 

 liver and at the juncture of the abdominal and thoracic cavi- 

 ties. It appears as a cluster of spheres or globe-shaped bodies 



Fig. 12. The Pelvic Organs of a Pullet. 

 a, ovary; b, oviduct; c, infundibuliform portion or origin of the oviduct; d, 

 rectum; e, cloaca into which the oviduct empties; f, adrenal gland; g, kidney; h, 

 ureter carrying the secretion of the kidney to the cloaca; i, lung. 



which in tlic adult hen immhL'r from DOO to 3,500. Fig. 12^ 

 letter a, represents an ovary of an adult White "Wyandotte 

 pullet that has never functionated. The undeveloped ova are 

 noted in a grape-like mass. Fig. 13, letter a, represents an 

 active ovary from a three-pound White Leghorn bantam hen. 

 This hen was developing one egg a day, having laid an egg 

 only three hours before being killed: b represents the yolk 

 of an ovum which would probably have been fully developed 

 in less than twenty-four hours. The ovum is surrounded by 

 a thin membrane or capsule very vascular, as shown in Fig. 

 13. This capsule is continued back onto the stalk which at- 

 taches it to the central fibrous supporting portion of the 

 ovary. This portion is attached to the structures of the back. 

 When the yolk portion of the ovum is fully developed the cap- 



