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Birger Svihus2
1
Presented as a part of the Informal Nutrition Symposium “From Research Measurements to Application: Bridging the Gap”
at the Poultry Science Association’s annual meeting in San Diego, California, July 22–25, 2013.
2
Corresponding author: birger.svihus@nmbu.no
Svihus: INFORMAL NUTRITION SYMPOSIUM 307
ality may take place without such conspicuous feeding, and is not involved in feed intake regu-
signs of malfunction. In nutritional sciences, a lation [2]. Ad libitum feeding will thus probably
very important task is to assess performance and discourage use of the crop. Although large vari-
digestibility when different feeds and additives ations among individual birds were observed,
are used. An impaired digestibility may be due data from our laboratory have confirmed that ad
to the nature of the diets, or it may be due to a libitum-fed broiler chickens do not use the crop
dysfunctional digestive tract. Thus, it is impor- to any significant extent [4]. Instead of storing
tant to understand what characterizes a func- feed in the crop, they eat small meals approxi-
tional digestive tract when birds shall be used mately every half an hour [5]. Even though more
for dietary assessment. Also, it is important to be data are needed, this indicates that ad libitum-
that are activated by moisturization will poten- which will aid in the grinding process due to its
tially be able to exert their effect in the crop. Re- sand-paper-like surface. Grinding activity and
sults indicate that the contents of the crop are the regulation of this activity in the gizzard has
gradually moistened; reaching 50% moisture been described in detail by Duke [14], and will
within approximately 60 min [4]. As the crop only be briefly outlined herein. Also, a detailed
is the only segment of the digestive tract where overview of function of the gizzard has recently
water content may be a limiting factor for en- been published [15]. The grinding cycle begins
zyme activity, the time needed for soaking may with contraction of the thin muscles, followed
be a critical factor in determining the efficacy by opening of the pylorus and a powerful peri-
of an exogenous enzyme, provided that the crop staltic contraction in the duodenum. The pair of
that larger particles are selectively retained in be expected to result in an elevated gizzard pH
the gizzard [21], and that passage rate of a non- unless gastric juice secretion is able to increase
structural marker, such as titanium oxide, is the in accordance with intake. This is probably the
same independent of diet structure [10], it is ob- main reason why gizzard pH is reported to be
vious that mean retention time of feed particles higher with pelleted diets when compared with
will increase substantially with increasing diet mash diets [38, 41, 42], although less structure
structure. If retention time is close to 1 h when due to the grinding effect of pelleting will also
a standard commercial diet with few structural contribute to this effect [41, 43]. As reviewed ex-
components is fed, mean retention time can be tensively by Svihus [15], the increase in the size
assumed to approach 2 h if gizzard development of the gizzard when the diet contains structural
extent completed by the end of the jejunum. ing out the histological assessment should not be
The ileum is the last segment of the small in- aware of the treatment), and a method to ensure
testine and ends at the ileo-ceco-colic junction. a random selection of area to measure should be
Despite the fact that the length of this segment in place. This is seldom—if ever—reported in
is approximately the same as the jejunum [50], methods description for these kinds of assess-
weight is much lower, as discussed previously. ments.
Although some digestion and absorption of fat,
protein, and starch may take place, this segment FUNCTION OF THE CECA
is mainly thought to play a role as a site for wa-
ter and mineral absorption. It has been shown, The pair of ceca found in domesticated poul-
the lower digestive tract, with the ceca being the ing may therefore have particularly detrimental
most important organ. Although the quantitative effects when no structural components exist in
importance is uncertain, it is also possible that the diet, resulting in a small and under-devel-
the ceca can play a role in recycling of renal ni- oped gizzard. Environmental conditions may
trogen. be important in this context, as birds will com-
The functionality of the ceca is to a very large pensate for lack of structural components in the
extent affected by diet, and the ceca enlarge as a diet, to some extent, by eating litter materials,
consequence of an increased amount of ferment- such as wood shavings, if available [31, 67]. As
able material in the diet. An extreme example pelleted diets are used commercially for broiler
is the willow ptarmigan, where the ceca is 30% chicken, this means that the use of mash diets
enzymes [71, 72]. In that case, it is obvious that plication both for commercial diet for-
functionality of both the crop and the gizzard mulation and under experimental condi-
may have a large effect on responses to enzyme tions is still not fully appreciated.
supplementation. Intermittent feeding will in- 3. Intermittent feeding is necessary to en-
crease retention time and decrease pH of the sure that all birds in a flock are making
crop, and structural components will increase use of the crop as an intermediate stor-
retention time and decrease pH in the gizzard, age organ.
as discussed previously. In accordance with this, 4. Although the moisturization that takes
Svihus et al. [4] reported that supplemental phy- place during retention of material in the
tase was able to degrade 50% of the phytic acid crop may contribute to a higher digest-
8. Buyse, J., D. S. Adelsohn, E. Decuypere, and C. G. 24. Farner, D. S. 1960. Digestion and the digestive sys-
Scanes. 1993. Diurnal-nocturnal changes in food intake, gut tem. Pages 411–467 in Biology and Comparative Physiol-
storage of ingesta, food transit time and metabolism in grow- ogy of Birds. A. J. Marshall, ed. Academic Press, New York,
ing broiler chickens: a model for temporal control of energy NY.
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9. Barash, I., Z. Nitsan, and I. Nir. 1993. Adaptation of Exp. Zool. Suppl. 3:2–9.
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and pancreatic-enzymes. Br. Poult. Sci. 34:35–42. of dietary electrolytes on digestive tract pH and acid-base
10. Svihus, B., H. Hetland, M. Choct, and F. Sundby. status of chicks. Poult. Sci. 63:2247–2251.
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Br. Poult. Sci. 43:662–668. velopment of the digestive tract, pancreatic enzyme activi-
40. Jiménez-Moreno, E., J. M. Gonzalez-Alvarado, R. 57. Svihus, B., M. Choct, and H. L. Classen. 2013.
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