The oestrogenised chick as an experimental model for fatty liver-haemorrhagic syndrome in the fowl.

A syndrome resembling fatty liver-haemorrhagic syndrome in laying hens was reproduced in six- to seven-week-old chickens by injecting oestradiol-17beta-dipropionate intramuscularly (total dose 20-50 mg/kg). The degree of hepatic steatosis and the severity and extent of haemorrhage from the liver varied with the dose and the results suggested a pathogenic relationship between the two conditions. There was no evidence of reticulolysis in the liver. When food was withdrawn for 24 h after the last injection there was a dramatic fall in the haemorrhage score and a reduction in the lipid content of the liver.