Gross Anatomical Study of Small Intestine in Japanese Quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica)

Abstract

The current study was carried out on 12 Japanese quail of either sex divided into two groups of three and
six weeks of age. The duodenum was the first segment and was in the form of a ‘U’ shaped loop. The jejunum
was arranged in the form of coils suspended by mesentery. Ileum was observed as a straight portion of small
intestine located in between two caeca and was the shortest of all the three. There was a positive effect on the
growth of the small intestine with the increase of age and there was higher relative growth rate for duodenum
as compared to jejunum and ileum. Duodenum achieved its maximum length in the early post hatch period,
whereas jejunum and ileum achieved their maximum length in the late post hatch period.