Male chickens (Gallus domesticus) were treated with 17 beta-oestradiol then injected with a mixture of [6-3H]glucose and [U-14C]glucose. Subsequently, blood samples were taken to determine plasma lipid levels and several parameters of glucose metabolism, including entry rate, carbon recycling, mean transit time, the total body glucose mass, the mass of the sampling pool and the rate of outflow from this pool. Oestrogen-treated birds exhibited typical hyperlipidaemia, with significantly elevated plasma levels of triacylglyerol and nonesterified fatty acids. Oestrogen administration significantly decreased the glucose entry rate, the total body glucose mass and the rate of outflow from the sampling pool.