Effect of feeding system on protein metabolites in chick blood.

Abstract

Synopsis Chicks, one week of age, were subjected to a cyclic feeding regimen where food was available for 8 h and withheld for 16 h while their controls had access to food 24 h/d. All birds were kept under continuous light. At the end of a 3‐week feeding period, blood uric acid and ammonia levels were determined with time of sampling related to the feeding regimen of the cyclic fed birds. It was found that access to food in the cyclic fed birds significantly elevated plasma uric acid levels as compared to the ad libitum fed birds. Blood ammonia, on the other hand, significantly decreased with feeding and increased after the withdrawal of food in the cyclic fed birds.