matically monitor continuous feed-intake patterns of chickens. Cumulative feed intake and feeding activities were recorded for two adult males from populations ...
RESEARCH NOTES A Procedure for Monitoring Continuous Feed Intake of Chickens G. F. BARBATO, D. F. HUEY, J. A. CHERRY, and P. B. SIEGEL Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Poultry Science Department Blacksburg, Virginia 24061 (Received for publication November 30, 1981) ABSTRACT We evaluated feasibility of using force transducers linked to a data terminal to automatically monitor continuous feed-intake patterns of chickens. Cumulative feed intake and feeding activities were recorded for two adult males from populations divergently selected for juvenile body weight. The system provided automatic collection of data, ease in transcription from the terminal output, and results consistent with those previously obtained with other instrumentation. (Key words: chickens, feeding behavior, computers, force transducers, feed intake) 1982 Poultry Science 61:1759-1761
INTRODUCTION The feed intake of chickens is conventionally described as the amount of feed consumed over a prescribed period of time, yet there are situations when it is important to determine the time sequence during which feed is consumed. Methods developed for such measurements included photoelectric systems (Siegel and Guhl, 1956), time-lapse photography (Wood-Gush, 1959), trip wires (Dingle, 1971), videotape recordings (Von Bessei, 1977), and near-infrared detection systems (Ito and Mimura, 1978). Although these procedures measure the elapsed time an individual spent near a feeder as well as activities directed towards the feeder, they preclude the capability to monitor feed consumption within the system. Chickens have been taught to press a bar for feed pellets in a Skinner box. This enables recording of the temporal sequencing of feed intake and the number of pellets consumed (Duncan et al., 1970). Because chickens preferred to obtain feed by the learned behavior rather than ad libitum, Duncan (1972) suggested that nonappetitive factors influenced their consummatory behavior. This was consistent with McFarland's (1964) observation that bar pressing in Barbary doves may have had an intrinsic incentive value that, under certain circumstances, superseded that of the feed. Wood-Gush and Gower (1968) measured feeding via a feed tray attached to a torsion balance having a recording arm that trans-
mitted all movement to a kymograph. This technique allowed for the recording of the number and strength of pecks, the time interval between pecks, and the amount of feed consumed. A system that had these advantages but also increased accuracy was described by Masic et al. (1974), who placed the feed pan on a strain gauge transducer. Upon feeding, changes in the weight of the pan were converted to voltage changes that drove a potentiometric recorder. We have developed a similar system using photoelectric force transducers modified from a standard laboratory physiograph (Barbato et al, 1980). Because the transcription of visual data from the recording unit was tedious and time consuming, the system reported in this note was developed to simplify and improve the collection of continuous feed consumption data. MATERIALS AND METHODS Chickens were maintained in individual cages with plywood sides and a wire mesh front and back (Fig. 1). Water intake was determined by attaching a Hart cup at the rear of the cage to a 500 ml Nalgene calibrated cylinder. In each cage a feeding pan was attached to a load cell (Transducers, Inc., Model #C462-5-10Pl; Fig. 1), which in turn was wired to a Doric transducer indicator (Model 420) in an adjacent room. The transducer indicators were internally connected to a Texas Instruments data terminal (Model 825 KSR). Simultaneously, an internal time mechanism printed the date
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was effectively limited to this percentage of total feed weight, and the feed consumed was measured to the nearest gram. The feasibility of the system was evaluated by using two populations of chickens known to differ in their growth and feed intake patterns (Siegel, 1978; Barbato et al, 1980). Presented are data for Males A and B, who were selected at random from the high and low weight populations, respectively. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION FIG. 1. Chickens in cages with feeding pan attached to the top of the load cell wired to the transducer and the data terminal.
Figure 2 illustrates the cumulative feed intake and feeding activity for a 48-hr period when the males receiving continuous light. The consistency of the measurements may be observed by comparing the solid and dotted lines in Figure 2, which represent the first and second day's data, respectively. Although not identical, the data for the 2 days are consistent and exhibit the same overall configuration for both males. Although Male B spent approxi-
(month/date/year) and the time of day (hours: minutes:seconds). Programming was designed to record the weight of each feed pan the instant its weight was altered. As the transducer could be calibrated to the nearest .1 g, noise
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