Investigations of the migrating motor complex in domestic turkeys

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The motor correlate of the migrating myoelectric complex (MMC) was characterized in domestic turkeys, and feeding state, age, sex, and time of day were examined as possible factors influencing the motor activity observed. Strain gauge transducers, and in a few birds Ag-AgCl bipolar electrodes, were implanted on the caudoventral thin muscle of the muscular stomach, the duodenum, ileum, cecum, and colon. Contractility was recorded for 8-10 h per bird on alternating days for 2-3 wk, except in birds involved in four 24-h recording sessions during a 2-wk period. Intense motor activity characteristic of phase III of the MMC occurred only in the ileum; other phases could not be identified. The duration, propagation velocity, and percent of cyclic motor patterns propagating from one site to another were similar to those reported in other galliform species. The occurrence of cyclic motor activity appeared to be related to food consumption; the number of motor patterns occurring during an intense feeding session was less than the number observed 1.5-2 h after feeding. In addition, more motor patterns were recorded in fasted poults during the light period than in the dark; however, the reverse was observed in juveniles fed ad libitum. Cyclic motor activity recorded in fasted 18-wk-old birds was of longer duration than that in fasted 8-wk-old birds. No statistically significant differences were noted in the cyclic motor patterns of male vs. female poults.