Age–related changes in the metabolism and stress biomarkers of breeder hens
- 1Department of Animal Production and Health, Public Veterinary Health and Food Science and Technology, Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU, CEU Universities, Valencia, Spain
- 2Technical service, Cobb Española S.A, Palencia, Spain
Abstract
Our study aimed to evaluate reference intervals, interrelationships and changes over the lifespan of different metabolic and stress biomarkers of two different genetic lines of breeder (grandparent) hens (one female line, n = 290 and one male line, n = 290), either in blood or feather. Serum metabolic biomarkers included total proteins, albumin, uric acid, total cholesterol, high- and low-density lipoproteins (HDL-c and LDL-c), triglycerides, glucose, and non-esterified fatty acids. Stress biomarkers included feather corticosterone and the heterophil-to-lymphocyte (H:L) ratio in blood. Age markedly influenced all biomarkers, specifically with significant and progressive increases in lipids and proteins related to aging and more marked fluctuations in glucose and non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA). Feather corticosterone also increased progressively over time, whilst no significant age-related differences were detected for the H:L ratio. Significant differences were observed between pre-laying and post-laying periods for most biomarkers, except for NEFA and H:L ratio, reflecting the increased metabolic demands associated with the onset and maintenance of egg production. Correlation analyses revealed significant associations between metabolic and stress biomarkers, suggesting an interaction between metabolic status and stress response. Overall, these findings improve the understanding of age-related changes in metabolism and stress physiology in breeder hens and provide reference values that may support health monitoring, nutritional adequacy, welfare assessment, and the development of more sustainable poultry production systems.
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BibTeX
@article{caballerofalco2026agerelated,
title = {{Age–related changes in the metabolism and stress biomarkers of breeder hens}},
author = {Raúl Caballero-Falcó and Antonio González de Bulnes and Paula Martínez-Ros and Juan Carlos Abad and Cristina Guerra and M. Carmen López-Mendoza},
journal = {Poultry science},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.psj.2026.107949},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13718791},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Age–related changes in the metabolism and stress biomarkers of breeder hens
AU - Raúl Caballero-Falcó
AU - Antonio González de Bulnes
AU - Paula Martínez-Ros
AU - Juan Carlos Abad
AU - Cristina Guerra
AU - M. Carmen López-Mendoza
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/14
JO - Poultry science
DO - 10.1016/j.psj.2026.107949
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13718791
AB - Our study aimed to evaluate reference intervals, interrelationships and changes over the lifespan of different metabolic and stress biomarkers of two different genetic lines of breeder (grandparent) hens (one female line, n = 290 and one male line, n = 290), either in blood or feather. Serum metabolic biomarkers included total proteins, albumin, uric acid, total cholesterol, high- and low-density lipoproteins (HDL-c and LDL-c), triglycerides, glucose, and non-esterified fatty acids. Stress biomarkers included feather corticosterone and the heterophil-to-lymphocyte (H:L) ratio in blood. Age markedly influenced all biomarkers, specifically with significant and progressive increases in lipids and proteins related to aging and more marked fluctuations in glucose and non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA). Feather corticosterone also increased progressively over time, whilst no significant age-related differences were detected for the H:L ratio. Significant differences were observed between pre-laying and post-laying periods for most biomarkers, except for NEFA and H:L ratio, reflecting the increased metabolic demands associated with the onset and maintenance of egg production. Correlation analyses revealed significant associations between metabolic and stress biomarkers, suggesting an interaction between metabolic status and stress response. Overall, these findings improve the understanding of age-related changes in metabolism and stress physiology in breeder hens and provide reference values that may support health monitoring, nutritional adequacy, welfare assessment, and the development of more sustainable poultry production systems.
SN - 0032-5791
SN - 1525-3171
ER -