Morphometric Analysis of Developmental Alterations in the Small Intestine of Goose

SIMPLE SUMMARY: This study concerned histological changes in the small intestine (duodenum and jejunum) and liver in the first weeks of life of geese. After analyzing the results, an increase in most traits was found during the development of the animals; the largest increase occurred during the period of changing the feed given to the geese. The research carried out on the digestive system of geese in the first weeks of life is important for zootechnics, animal breeding, and the food industry, helping to optimize breeding processes and improve the health and performance of these birds. ABSTRACT: In this study, a morphometric analysis of morphological changes in the layers of the small intestine (duodenum and jejunum) and liver occurring during the hatching period (week 0) and postnatal development (weeks 1, 3, 6, and 8) was performed in geese. For this purpose, the staining of samples obtained from tissues collected from geese after culling was carried out. Staining was performed using the Goldner method to visualize all layers of the intestine for morphometric measurements. Our analysis focused mainly on traits such as the thickness of the mucosal, submucosal, and muscular layers, as well as traits related to intestinal absorption, such as the height and width of intestinal villi and crypts. Additionally, we also took into account the number of mononuclear and binucleate hepatocytes and other cells present in the liver. After analyzing the results, an increase in most traits was found during the development of the animals, with slight differences between the sections of the duodenum and jejunum. An interesting phenomenon was also noticed—the greatest increase in most traits was observed between the 3rd and 6th week of life, which coincides with the time of feed change. We hope that our work will highlight how important the digestive system is for birds because research on this topic is limited.