Biology of Reproduction, Vol 14, 549-560, Copyright © 1976 by Society for the Study of Reproduction

Distribution of Karotype Abnormalities in Chick Embryo Sibships

¹ Departments of Dairy Science, Poultry Science and Genetics, The Ohio State University, The Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Columbus, Ohio 43210

Among 728 early chick embryos, 16- to 18-h incubation, 90 were found to be either partially or completely composed of cells with abnormal chromosome complements (frequency = 12.4 ± 1.2 percent). Of the 90 cytogenetically abnormal embryos examined exactly half (45) contained haploid cells either alone or in addition to diploid and/or polyploid cells. The remaining 45 embryos comprised 19 triploid embryos, 2 tetraploids, 1 presumptive pentaploid, 10 diploid/tetraploid mosaics, 2 diploid/triploid mosaics and 11 embryos classified as aneuploids. The 728 pedigreed embryos examined in this series were produced by 117 broiler type females mated with 64 broiler type and 4 white leghorn type males in 135 mating combinations. Sibship data from these 135 mating combinations are reported and the distribution of aberrations in this series and an additional 42 sibships reported previously (Miller et al., 1971) is discussed.