Evaluation of the heterophil/lymphocyte ratio as a measure of stress in chickens.

The number of lymphocytes in chicken blood samples decreased and the number of heterophils increased in response to stressors and to increasing levels of corticosterone in the chicken feed. The ratio of heterophils to lymphocytes was less variable than the number of heterophil or lymphocyte cells, and the range of values for this ratio was greater than the range of values for heterophils and lymphocytes among control and experimental groups. The heterophil/lymphocyte ratio appears to be a more reliable indicator of levels of corticosterone in the feed and to social stress than were the plasma corticosteroid levels.