Plasma leptin concentrations during the reproductive cycle in the native Thai chicken (Gallus domesticus)

Abstract Plasma leptin concentrations were investigated during the reproductive cycle in the native Thai chicken. The plasma leptin concentration was high during non-laying (0.69 ± 0.15 ng/ml), lowered to a minimum concentration during egg laying (0.07 ± 0.02 ng/ml), and gradually increased during egg incubation and rearing of the chicks (0.53 ± 0.22 and 0.74 ± 0.29 ng/ml, respectively). However, the differences were not significant. Incubating chickens that were deprived of their nests for 3 weeks showed a significant decrease in plasma leptin concentrations (0.29 ± 0.04 ng/ml, P P