- Email: [email protected]
The Measurement of Feeding Activity in Chickens to 8 Weeks of Age
EATING PATTEKNS AND FOOD PASSAGE
was still being detected up to 10 hours. A method similar to that used here was employed by Olsson (1950) to study rate of passage of feed in chickens. The hypothesis that growth response to pelleting might be explained by a slower rate of passage through the digestive tract was not supported by the experimental results. SUMMARY
Observations on the eating patterns and rate of food passage of birds fed pelleted and unpelleted diets showed that: 1. Poults fed mash used 18.8% of a 12-hour day eating, while those fed pellets used only 2.2%. Chicks fed mash used 14.3% and those fed pellets 4.7% of the day eating. 2. No great differences were recorded between the mash and pellets in number of daily appearances at the feeder and total quantity of food consumed per day. 3. Little difference was observed in the rate of food passage in chicks fed mash, pellets and ground pellets as
1419
measured by the appearance of chromic oxide in the excreta. REFERENCES Allred, J. B., L. S. Jensen and J. McGinnis, 1957a. Factors affecting the response of chicks and poults to feed pelleting. Poultry Sci. 36: S17-523. Allred, J. B., R. E. Fry, L. S. Jensen and J. McGinnis, 1957b. Studies with chicks on improvement of nutritive value of feed ingredients by pelleting. Poultry Sci. 36: 1284-1289. Ewing, W. R., 1951. Poultry Nutrition (4th Ed.) W. R. Ewing, Publisher, South Pasadena, California. Hamm, D., E. Jaen, J. Tollett and E. L. Stephenson, 1960. Broiler and poult rations. Effect of pelleting, water soaking the grain, enzyme additions and limited feeding. Arkansas Exp. Sta. Bull. 631. Hill, F. W., and D. L. Anderson, 1958. Comparison of metabolizable and productive energy determinations with growing chicks. J. Nutrition, 64 : 587-603. Olsson, N., 1950. Smaltbarhetsforsok med fjaderfa.. Statens husdjursfrosok, Meddelande 43.. Persson, V. S., and S. A. Svensson, 1960. Die durchgangszeit des futters durch den verdauungstraktus von kiiken, Arch. f. Gefliigelk. 24: 407-416. Tuckey, R., B. E. March and J. Biely, 1958. Diet and the rate of food passage in the growing chick. Poultry Sci. 37: 786-792.
The Measurement of Feeding Activity in Chickens to 8 Weeks of Age P. B. SIEGEL, W. L. BEANE AND C. Y. KRAMER Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg (Received-for publication January 25, 1962)
"pHYTHMS of activity in the feeding -•-V a r e a h a v e j - , e e n demonstrated by Siegel and Guhl (1956) and Wood-Gush (1959). In the former study photoelectric systems were used to measure the activity of White Leghorn cockerels during the entire 6 week period from 9 to 15 weeks of age, while in the latter investigation time-lapse photography was utilized to study two small flocks of adult birds for
2 and 4 days duration. Direct observation of the flock as a method of measuring diurnal rhythms is difficult, not only because it is time consuming, but also because of the problems involved in recording the observations. Information concerning the use of automatic equipment for the measurement of activity in younger chickens and the relationship of activity in the feeding area with
1420
P. B. SIEGEL, W. L. BEANE AND C. Y.
KRAMER
FIG. 1. Photograph showing the location of the photoelectric cell (1), counter (2) mirror (3), and feed trough (4).
feed consumption are lacking. Also, unavailable are comparisons of the feeding habits of different stocks of chickens. The purpose of this experiment was to evaluate the feasibility of utilizing photoelectric systems to measure the activity about the feeder from hatching to 8 weeks of age in 2 broiler crosses. METHODS AND MATERIALS Photoelectric systems, similar to those employed by Siegel and Guhl (1956), were used to measure the amount of activity in the feeding area. A feed trough was placed along the wall with a photoelectric cell located on one end and a mirror on the other end (Figure 1). A beam of light, parallel to the feed trough, was directed from the unit to the mirror which reflected the beam back to a lens that focused on the photoelectric cell within the unit. Passage of a chicken through the beam of light activated the amplifier and relay which then actuated a counter. Photoelectric units and mirrors were located on stands which facilitated easy adjustment
to head and neck level rather than body level. This reduced the number of errors which would occur in recording the frequency of approaches to and retreats from the feed trough. At one clay of age 24 cockerels were placed in each of six 10' X 3' floor pens. These came from two commercial broiler stocks which enabled three replications per stock. Feeding space allowances on a per chick started basis were l.S linear inches to 3 weeks and 3.0 linear inches thereafter. An all-mash ration was fed throughout. All photoelectric systems and pen illumination were controlled by the same automatic time switch which turned on at 4:00 a.m. and off at 8:00 p.m. Counters for each pen were read at four 4-hour intervals (beginning at 8:00 a.m., 12:00 noon, 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.) each day. Photoelectric units and mirrors were elevated on the first day of each week to compensate for changes in the heights of the chickens. Also, on this day individual body weights were obtained. On the last day of each
1421
MEASUREMENT OF FEEDING ACTIVITY
week the feed consumed per 4-hour interval was determined in each pen at the time the activity counts were recorded. It was felt that these data would serve as a further check on the use of photoelectric cells as measurers of activity about the feeder. Activity about each feed trough was summarized according to the mean number of counts per bird per interval within each week. A nested-factorial analysis of activity and feed consumption data was made each week according to the method shown in Table 1. The Duncan (1955) multiple range test was used when significant differences were found. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Means and standard deviations of body weights for each stock at 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks of age are presented in Table 2. Pens (replications) were pooled since the pen within stock effects were not significant. Differences between the 2 stocks for body weight were not significant at any of the ages indicating a similarity in their growth patterns. An attempt was made to utilize the photoelectric systems in measuring approaches to and retreats from the feeder throughout the entire 0 to 8 week age period. Application of this technique, however, was not feasible during the first 3 weeks. This was because it is necessary to direct the light beam at the height of the head and neck regions so as to minimize errors obtained from chickens standing in the path of the beam. During the first few weeks of life the neck of a chicken does not extend sufficiently from the larger body areas to enable a satisfactory projection of the beam of light. When the beam was directed at head level, approaches to and retreats from the feeder were missed. When directed at the neck level the beam
TABLE 1.—Analysis of variance used in analyzing activity and feed consumption data Source of variation Among periods Between stocks Replicates within stocks PeriodsX stocks PeriodsX replicates within stocks
Df
M.S.
3 1 4 3
<72+6a-p2 2a-R2-|-6
12
a2
was blocked by the bird's body. Thus, it appears that this mechanical problem reduces the feasibility of the application of photoelectric systems in the measurement of feeding activity of very young chicks maintained in floor pens. A diurnal rhythm of activity about the feeder was observed from the fourth through the eighth week (Table 3). Periods 1 and 4 (4:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.) were the periods of greater activity in the feeding area whereas, activity was lower during periods 2 and 3 (8:00 a.m.-12:00 noon and 12:00 noon4:00 p.m.). Differences between periods 1 and 4 were not significant in any of the 5 comparisons made from 4 to 8 weeks of age. These were the periods just after the lights came on and just before they were turned off. Differences, between periods 2 and 3 were not significant in 3 of the 5 weeks. During the fourth week, however, activity was significantly greater during period 2 than during period 3 while it was significantly less during the seventh week. TABLE 2.—Means and standard deviations of body weight by ages and slocks Stock Age (wks.)
A
B
2 4 6 8
(gm.) 198 + 19» 516 ± 55" 976+100" 1,049+147"
(gm.) 198+ 18" 520+ 48» 988+ 84" 1,051 + 115"
Means within an age group having the same superscript were not significantly different.
1422
P. B. SIEGEL, W. L. BEANE AND C. Y. KRAMER
TABLE 3.—Means and standard deviations of counts per bird per period about the feed trough by weeks Period Week 4 5 6 7 8
(2) (3) (4) (1) 4 A.M.-8 A.M. 8 A.M.-12 N. 12 N.-4 P.M. 4 P.M.-8 P.M. 30.6+5.9" 43.5+3.lb 39.4+2.5" 33.8+3.8b 38.0+1.2b
25.9+7.5b 38.7 + 2 . 1 " 33.3+4.3ab 29.1+4.2" 33.5 + 4 . 8 "
19.4+7.0" 30.4+3.0" 38.2 + 3 . 2 " 4 3 . 5 + 1 . 7 bb 30.9 + 4 . 6 " 37.1 + 2 . 1b " 32.1 + 4 . 2 b 3 1 . 8 + 4 . 0 b 33.2 + 4 . 5 " 3 9 . 6 + 2 . 3
Means within a week having the same superscript were not significantly different.
Diurnal rhythms in feeding activity have previously been reported in chickens at older ages (Siegel and Guhl, 1956; WoodGush, 1959). The specific patterns, however, were different. The wide range in climatic conditions, diversity of stocks, and lighting regimes, in addition to age, precludes the presentation of specific causes for the differences in the diurnal patterns which were obtained in the 3 investigations. Differences between stocks for activity in the feeding area were not significant. Also, the period-stock interactions were not significant indicating the similarity of activity about the feeder for these 2 stocks. A diurnal rhythm in feed consumption TABLE 4.—Means and standard deviations of grams of feed consumed per bird per period by weeks Period Week 4 5 6 7 8
(2) (1) 4 A.M.-8 A.M. 8 A.M.-12 N. 13.4+1.5" 18.4+2.7" 23.2+0.7" 27.0+3.6" 24.8+4.6b
11.3+1.6" 10.8+2.4" 17.7 + 4 . 8 " 17.4+1.8" 21.9+0.7"
(3) (4) 12 N-4 P.M. 4 P.M.-8 P.M. 12.2 + 0 . 9 " 13.7+l.2b 17.0+3.8" 20.8+1.2b 20.1+1.6"
17.8+2.5b 20.6+0.7d 20.6+0.Sb 25.0+1.4" 29.8+1.3"
Means within a week having the same superscript were not significantly different.
was also noted (Table 4). The pattern, in most instances, was consistent with the one obtained for activity about the feeder. This would indicate that feed consumption was greater during those periods when approaches to and retreats from the feeder were most frequent. The lower feed consumption during periods 2 and 3 was consistent with the observation made on broilers from 8 to 9 weeks of age by D'Armi (1959). In our experiment both stocks consumed comparable amounts of feed as evidenced by a non-significant stock effect. The consistent lack of a significant periodstock interaction indicated that the consumption patterns for the 2 stocks were also similar. CONCLUSIONS Photoelectric systems may be used successfully to measure the feeding activity of chicks from 4 weeks of age. Diurnal rhythms were found for activity about the feed trough and followed a pattern similar to that for feed consumption. The rhythm obtained was similar for two different stocks. REFERENCES Duncan, D. B., 1955. Multiple range and multiple F tests. Biometrics, 1 1 : 1-42. D'Armi, F. S., 1959. Personal communication. Siegel, P. B., and A. M. Guhl, 1956. The measurement of some diurnal rhythms in the activity of White Leghorn cockerels. Poultry Sci. 35: 13401345. Wood-Gush, D. G. M., 1959. Time-lapse photography : A technique for studying diurnal rhythms. Physiol. Zool. 32: 272-283.
NEWS AND NOTES (Continued from page 1400) Margaret Street, Sydney, Australia, has announced that Congress Proceedings will be available on payment of three pounds (Australian). Copies will be mailed at the conclusion of the Congress. Those who do not attend the Congress but purchase
Proceedings will be listed as Associate Members. U.S.D.A. NOTES The appointment of Dr. Theodore C. Byerly as Administrator of the Cooperative State Experi-
(Continued on page 1436)
was still being detected up to 10 hours. A method similar to that used here was employed by Olsson (1950) to study rate of passage of feed in chickens. The hypothesis that growth response to pelleting might be explained by a slower rate of passage through the digestive tract was not supported by the experimental results. SUMMARY
Observations on the eating patterns and rate of food passage of birds fed pelleted and unpelleted diets showed that: 1. Poults fed mash used 18.8% of a 12-hour day eating, while those fed pellets used only 2.2%. Chicks fed mash used 14.3% and those fed pellets 4.7% of the day eating. 2. No great differences were recorded between the mash and pellets in number of daily appearances at the feeder and total quantity of food consumed per day. 3. Little difference was observed in the rate of food passage in chicks fed mash, pellets and ground pellets as
1419
measured by the appearance of chromic oxide in the excreta. REFERENCES Allred, J. B., L. S. Jensen and J. McGinnis, 1957a. Factors affecting the response of chicks and poults to feed pelleting. Poultry Sci. 36: S17-523. Allred, J. B., R. E. Fry, L. S. Jensen and J. McGinnis, 1957b. Studies with chicks on improvement of nutritive value of feed ingredients by pelleting. Poultry Sci. 36: 1284-1289. Ewing, W. R., 1951. Poultry Nutrition (4th Ed.) W. R. Ewing, Publisher, South Pasadena, California. Hamm, D., E. Jaen, J. Tollett and E. L. Stephenson, 1960. Broiler and poult rations. Effect of pelleting, water soaking the grain, enzyme additions and limited feeding. Arkansas Exp. Sta. Bull. 631. Hill, F. W., and D. L. Anderson, 1958. Comparison of metabolizable and productive energy determinations with growing chicks. J. Nutrition, 64 : 587-603. Olsson, N., 1950. Smaltbarhetsforsok med fjaderfa.. Statens husdjursfrosok, Meddelande 43.. Persson, V. S., and S. A. Svensson, 1960. Die durchgangszeit des futters durch den verdauungstraktus von kiiken, Arch. f. Gefliigelk. 24: 407-416. Tuckey, R., B. E. March and J. Biely, 1958. Diet and the rate of food passage in the growing chick. Poultry Sci. 37: 786-792.
The Measurement of Feeding Activity in Chickens to 8 Weeks of Age P. B. SIEGEL, W. L. BEANE AND C. Y. KRAMER Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg (Received-for publication January 25, 1962)
"pHYTHMS of activity in the feeding -•-V a r e a h a v e j - , e e n demonstrated by Siegel and Guhl (1956) and Wood-Gush (1959). In the former study photoelectric systems were used to measure the activity of White Leghorn cockerels during the entire 6 week period from 9 to 15 weeks of age, while in the latter investigation time-lapse photography was utilized to study two small flocks of adult birds for
2 and 4 days duration. Direct observation of the flock as a method of measuring diurnal rhythms is difficult, not only because it is time consuming, but also because of the problems involved in recording the observations. Information concerning the use of automatic equipment for the measurement of activity in younger chickens and the relationship of activity in the feeding area with
1420
P. B. SIEGEL, W. L. BEANE AND C. Y.
KRAMER
FIG. 1. Photograph showing the location of the photoelectric cell (1), counter (2) mirror (3), and feed trough (4).
feed consumption are lacking. Also, unavailable are comparisons of the feeding habits of different stocks of chickens. The purpose of this experiment was to evaluate the feasibility of utilizing photoelectric systems to measure the activity about the feeder from hatching to 8 weeks of age in 2 broiler crosses. METHODS AND MATERIALS Photoelectric systems, similar to those employed by Siegel and Guhl (1956), were used to measure the amount of activity in the feeding area. A feed trough was placed along the wall with a photoelectric cell located on one end and a mirror on the other end (Figure 1). A beam of light, parallel to the feed trough, was directed from the unit to the mirror which reflected the beam back to a lens that focused on the photoelectric cell within the unit. Passage of a chicken through the beam of light activated the amplifier and relay which then actuated a counter. Photoelectric units and mirrors were located on stands which facilitated easy adjustment
to head and neck level rather than body level. This reduced the number of errors which would occur in recording the frequency of approaches to and retreats from the feed trough. At one clay of age 24 cockerels were placed in each of six 10' X 3' floor pens. These came from two commercial broiler stocks which enabled three replications per stock. Feeding space allowances on a per chick started basis were l.S linear inches to 3 weeks and 3.0 linear inches thereafter. An all-mash ration was fed throughout. All photoelectric systems and pen illumination were controlled by the same automatic time switch which turned on at 4:00 a.m. and off at 8:00 p.m. Counters for each pen were read at four 4-hour intervals (beginning at 8:00 a.m., 12:00 noon, 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.) each day. Photoelectric units and mirrors were elevated on the first day of each week to compensate for changes in the heights of the chickens. Also, on this day individual body weights were obtained. On the last day of each
1421
MEASUREMENT OF FEEDING ACTIVITY
week the feed consumed per 4-hour interval was determined in each pen at the time the activity counts were recorded. It was felt that these data would serve as a further check on the use of photoelectric cells as measurers of activity about the feeder. Activity about each feed trough was summarized according to the mean number of counts per bird per interval within each week. A nested-factorial analysis of activity and feed consumption data was made each week according to the method shown in Table 1. The Duncan (1955) multiple range test was used when significant differences were found. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Means and standard deviations of body weights for each stock at 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks of age are presented in Table 2. Pens (replications) were pooled since the pen within stock effects were not significant. Differences between the 2 stocks for body weight were not significant at any of the ages indicating a similarity in their growth patterns. An attempt was made to utilize the photoelectric systems in measuring approaches to and retreats from the feeder throughout the entire 0 to 8 week age period. Application of this technique, however, was not feasible during the first 3 weeks. This was because it is necessary to direct the light beam at the height of the head and neck regions so as to minimize errors obtained from chickens standing in the path of the beam. During the first few weeks of life the neck of a chicken does not extend sufficiently from the larger body areas to enable a satisfactory projection of the beam of light. When the beam was directed at head level, approaches to and retreats from the feeder were missed. When directed at the neck level the beam
TABLE 1.—Analysis of variance used in analyzing activity and feed consumption data Source of variation Among periods Between stocks Replicates within stocks PeriodsX stocks PeriodsX replicates within stocks
Df
M.S.
3 1 4 3
<72+6a-p2 2a-R2-|-6
12
a2
was blocked by the bird's body. Thus, it appears that this mechanical problem reduces the feasibility of the application of photoelectric systems in the measurement of feeding activity of very young chicks maintained in floor pens. A diurnal rhythm of activity about the feeder was observed from the fourth through the eighth week (Table 3). Periods 1 and 4 (4:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.) were the periods of greater activity in the feeding area whereas, activity was lower during periods 2 and 3 (8:00 a.m.-12:00 noon and 12:00 noon4:00 p.m.). Differences between periods 1 and 4 were not significant in any of the 5 comparisons made from 4 to 8 weeks of age. These were the periods just after the lights came on and just before they were turned off. Differences, between periods 2 and 3 were not significant in 3 of the 5 weeks. During the fourth week, however, activity was significantly greater during period 2 than during period 3 while it was significantly less during the seventh week. TABLE 2.—Means and standard deviations of body weight by ages and slocks Stock Age (wks.)
A
B
2 4 6 8
(gm.) 198 + 19» 516 ± 55" 976+100" 1,049+147"
(gm.) 198+ 18" 520+ 48» 988+ 84" 1,051 + 115"
Means within an age group having the same superscript were not significantly different.
1422
P. B. SIEGEL, W. L. BEANE AND C. Y. KRAMER
TABLE 3.—Means and standard deviations of counts per bird per period about the feed trough by weeks Period Week 4 5 6 7 8
(2) (3) (4) (1) 4 A.M.-8 A.M. 8 A.M.-12 N. 12 N.-4 P.M. 4 P.M.-8 P.M. 30.6+5.9" 43.5+3.lb 39.4+2.5" 33.8+3.8b 38.0+1.2b
25.9+7.5b 38.7 + 2 . 1 " 33.3+4.3ab 29.1+4.2" 33.5 + 4 . 8 "
19.4+7.0" 30.4+3.0" 38.2 + 3 . 2 " 4 3 . 5 + 1 . 7 bb 30.9 + 4 . 6 " 37.1 + 2 . 1b " 32.1 + 4 . 2 b 3 1 . 8 + 4 . 0 b 33.2 + 4 . 5 " 3 9 . 6 + 2 . 3
Means within a week having the same superscript were not significantly different.
Diurnal rhythms in feeding activity have previously been reported in chickens at older ages (Siegel and Guhl, 1956; WoodGush, 1959). The specific patterns, however, were different. The wide range in climatic conditions, diversity of stocks, and lighting regimes, in addition to age, precludes the presentation of specific causes for the differences in the diurnal patterns which were obtained in the 3 investigations. Differences between stocks for activity in the feeding area were not significant. Also, the period-stock interactions were not significant indicating the similarity of activity about the feeder for these 2 stocks. A diurnal rhythm in feed consumption TABLE 4.—Means and standard deviations of grams of feed consumed per bird per period by weeks Period Week 4 5 6 7 8
(2) (1) 4 A.M.-8 A.M. 8 A.M.-12 N. 13.4+1.5" 18.4+2.7" 23.2+0.7" 27.0+3.6" 24.8+4.6b
11.3+1.6" 10.8+2.4" 17.7 + 4 . 8 " 17.4+1.8" 21.9+0.7"
(3) (4) 12 N-4 P.M. 4 P.M.-8 P.M. 12.2 + 0 . 9 " 13.7+l.2b 17.0+3.8" 20.8+1.2b 20.1+1.6"
17.8+2.5b 20.6+0.7d 20.6+0.Sb 25.0+1.4" 29.8+1.3"
Means within a week having the same superscript were not significantly different.
was also noted (Table 4). The pattern, in most instances, was consistent with the one obtained for activity about the feeder. This would indicate that feed consumption was greater during those periods when approaches to and retreats from the feeder were most frequent. The lower feed consumption during periods 2 and 3 was consistent with the observation made on broilers from 8 to 9 weeks of age by D'Armi (1959). In our experiment both stocks consumed comparable amounts of feed as evidenced by a non-significant stock effect. The consistent lack of a significant periodstock interaction indicated that the consumption patterns for the 2 stocks were also similar. CONCLUSIONS Photoelectric systems may be used successfully to measure the feeding activity of chicks from 4 weeks of age. Diurnal rhythms were found for activity about the feed trough and followed a pattern similar to that for feed consumption. The rhythm obtained was similar for two different stocks. REFERENCES Duncan, D. B., 1955. Multiple range and multiple F tests. Biometrics, 1 1 : 1-42. D'Armi, F. S., 1959. Personal communication. Siegel, P. B., and A. M. Guhl, 1956. The measurement of some diurnal rhythms in the activity of White Leghorn cockerels. Poultry Sci. 35: 13401345. Wood-Gush, D. G. M., 1959. Time-lapse photography : A technique for studying diurnal rhythms. Physiol. Zool. 32: 272-283.
NEWS AND NOTES (Continued from page 1400) Margaret Street, Sydney, Australia, has announced that Congress Proceedings will be available on payment of three pounds (Australian). Copies will be mailed at the conclusion of the Congress. Those who do not attend the Congress but purchase
Proceedings will be listed as Associate Members. U.S.D.A. NOTES The appointment of Dr. Theodore C. Byerly as Administrator of the Cooperative State Experi-
(Continued on page 1436)