Maternal care behaviors in birds include incubation and rearing behaviors. During incubating period, the hens stop laying and eating less due to food restriction as a natural fasting when compared with the rearing hens, resulting in low production of eggs and chicks. Neuropeptide Y (NPY), a neurotransmitter/neuromodulator, is very well known to be involved in food intake regulation in birds and mammals. The objective of this study is to elucidate the association between NPY and maternal behaviors in the female native Thai chicken. The distributions of NPY-immunoreactive (-ir) neurons and fibers in the brain of the incubating (INC), nest-deprived (ND), and replaced-egg-with-chicks (REC) hens at day 6 were determined utilizing immunohistochemistry technique. The results revealed that the distributions of NPY-ir neurons and fibers were observed within the septalis lateralis, nucleus rotundus, and nucleus dorsolateralis anterior thalami, with predominantly located within the the nucleus paraventricularis magnocellularis (PVN). NPY-ir fibers were located throughout the brain and the densest NPY-ir fibers were distributed in a discrete region lying close to the ventriculus tertius (third ventricle) through the hypothalamus. Changes in the number of NPY-ir neurons within the PVN of the INC, ND, and REC hens were compared at different time points (at days 6 and 14). Interestingly, the number of NPY-ir neurons within the PVN was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in the INC hens when compared with those of the ND and REC hens at day 14 but not day 6. In addition, the number of NPY-ir neurons within the PVN of the INC hens was significantly increased (P < 0.05) from day 6 to day 14 but not the ND and REC hens. These results indicated, for the first time, the asscociation between NPY and maternal behaviors in the femle native Thai chicken. Change in the number of NPY-ir neurons within the PVN during the transition from incubating to rearing behavior suggested the possible role of NPY in the regulation of the maternal behaviors in this equatorial species. In addition, the native Thai chicken might be an excellent animal model for the study of this phenomenon.

鸟类的母体护理行为包括孵化和饲养行为。在孵化期间，母鸡与饲养母鸡相比，由于食物限制，自然禁食，停止产蛋和减少进食，导致鸡蛋和小鸡的产量低。众所周知，神经肽 Y (NPY) 是一种神经递质/神经调节剂，与鸟类和哺乳动物的食物摄入调节有关。本研究的目的是阐明 NPY 与泰国本土母鸡的母性行为之间的关联。NPY 免疫反应 (-ir) 神经元和纤维在孵化 (INC)、巢剥夺 (ND) 和替代蛋鸡 (REC) 母鸡在第 6 天的大脑中的分布使用免疫组织化学技术确定. 结果表明，NPY-ir神经元和纤维分布于丘脑前外侧中隔、圆形核和背外侧核内，主要位于大细胞室旁核（PVN）内。NPY-ir 纤维遍布整个大脑，最密集的 NPY-ir 纤维分布在一个离散区域，靠近第三脑室（第三脑室）通过下丘脑。在不同时间点（第 6 天和第 14 天）比较了 INC、ND 和 REC 母鸡 PVN 内 NPY-ir 神经元数量的变化。有趣的是，PVN 内 NPY-ir 神经元的数量明显更高（主要位于大细胞室旁核（PVN）内。NPY-ir 纤维遍布整个大脑，最密集的 NPY-ir 纤维分布在一个离散区域，靠近第三脑室（第三脑室）通过下丘脑。在不同时间点（第 6 天和第 14 天）比较了 INC、ND 和 REC 母鸡 PVN 内 NPY-ir 神经元数量的变化。有趣的是，PVN 内 NPY-ir 神经元的数量明显更高（主要位于大细胞室旁核（PVN）内。NPY-ir 纤维遍布整个大脑，最密集的 NPY-ir 纤维分布在一个离散区域，靠近第三脑室（第三脑室）通过下丘脑。在不同时间点（第 6 天和第 14 天）比较了 INC、ND 和 REC 母鸡 PVN 内 NPY-ir 神经元数量的变化。有趣的是，PVN 内 NPY-ir 神经元的数量明显更高（和 REC 母鸡在不同时间点（第 6 天和第 14 天）进行了比较。有趣的是，PVN 内 NPY-ir 神经元的数量明显更高（和 REC 母鸡在不同时间点（第 6 天和第 14 天）进行了比较。有趣的是，PVN 内 NPY-ir 神经元的数量明显更高（P < 0.05）与 ND 和 REC 母鸡在第 14 天而不是第 6 天相比。此外，INC 母鸡 PVN 内 NPY-ir 神经元的数量显着增加（P < 0.05 ) 从第 6 天到第 14 天，但不是 ND 和 REC 雌鸽。这些结果首次表明泰国母鸡的 NPY 与母性行为之间存在关联。在从孵化到饲养行为的过渡期间 PVN 内 NPY-ir 神经元数量的变化表明 NPY 在调节该赤道物种的母性行为中可能发挥作用。此外，泰国本土鸡可能是研究这种现象的绝佳动物模型。