[Morphological changes in chickens receiving cadmium with the feed]

An experiment was carried out with a total of 100 broiler chickens of the Plymouth Rock breed. From hatching up to the 56th day of age they were offered a maize-soybean ration that was balanced in terms of nutrients and exogenically supplemented with cadmium at various rates in the form of cadmium chloride. The birds were divided into five experimental groups. The first group was given the basic ration with 2.5 mg Cd per kg of feed. The second group was given the same ration with 5 mg Cd; the third group--the same feed with 10 mg Cd; and the fourth group--the same ration with 20 mg Cd. The morphologic studies revealed that the presence of Cd in the feed led to severe dystrophic and necrotic changes accompanied with hemorrhages in the kidneys, heart muscle, and liver. Besides, the birds of the second and third group showed thinning and prolongation of villi intestinales, and those of the fourth group--shortening and thickening of the villi in the small intestine. These changes were indicative of chronic toxic lesions.