Inter-Species Blood Injections

Abstract

Previous work completed at this laboratory in intra-species blood transfusions in the domestic fowl produced no modifications in the heredity of plumage color in the recipients after three generations, Lowe et al. (1963). However, modifications of this type have been reported by Leroy (1962), Leroy and Benoit (1963), Stroun et al. (1963) and Leroy et al. (1964) when using the gray guineafowl (Numida meleagris) as the donor. These French and Swiss workers made repeated intra-peritoneal injections of whole or fractionated guinea-fowl blood into Rhode Island Red and White Leghorn chickens. A number of chicks appeared in the F1 White Leghorn with an ashy white shade of down instead of yellow. In the F2, descended from injected F1, a few birds appeared with an ashy shade on the head and neck and some with gray or black spotted feathers appearing at random locations.When Rhode Island Reds were injected with the…