is dominated by saturated fatty acids, which make up to 97% of the total fatty acids, with 13 different medium to long chain saturated fatty acids (C8:0 to C22:0) detected. The preen oil contained several odd-chain fatty acids, which suggests they may be derived from lipolysis by the uropygial gland and/or its microbiome. Diet and gender had small but significant effects on levels of specific saturated fatty acid in the preen oil. The fatty acid composition of the preen oil did not reflect the more diverse fatty acid compositions of the diet or whole blood. Therefore, this clearly indicate that measuring the fatty acid profile of preen oil is not a suitable alternative approach for predicting the fatty acid composition of the blood of meat chickens. See also Sebaceous gland References External links Diagram of uropygial gland structure Bird anatomy