Histology of the midbrain of the grey breasted helmeted guinea fowl (Numida meleagris galeata) at post-hatch

The study was carried out to investigate the development of the midbrain in the grey breasted helmeted guinea fowl, Numida meleagris galeata, at post-hatch. Domestication of this species of bird is in an increase, but scanty documentation on the development of midbrain (mesencephalon) and how it relates to the neurobiology of this bird is lacking. In our findings, there was a steady increase in the midbrain mean weights found to be 0.0418 ± 0.0081 and 0.2236 ± 0.0224 g on the first day and day 61 post-hatch, respectively. Morphological and cellular development shows the midbrain to develop immediately after hatch at day one. This indicates that auditory-visual activities are fully functional in the wild grey breasted helmeted guinea fowl and capable of independent survival immediately after hatching. Key words: Morpho-histogenesis, midbrain, guinea fowl.