Force-feeding Method Research Articles

Force Feeding Methodology and Equipment for Poultry

Methodology and equipment for rapidly force feeding poultry meals of a specific size has been developed and tested in vivo. The force feeding method utilizes a feeding gun constructed from readily available materials and ground poultry feed combined with water. At the proper feed to water ratio, feed administered by the gun is free flowing and of constant dry matter content. To test the procedure, 5-week-old broiler chicks were force fed three times per day for 14 days quantum sufficient to simulate consumption by birds receiving feed ad libitum. The two groups had similar (P>.1) body weight gains, percent dry matter and starch digestibility, feed efficiency, digesta passage rate, and dressing percentage. Each bird could be fed in less than 30 sec.

Intestinal absorption of beta-alanine, anserine and carnosine in rats.

Absorption beta-alanine, anserine or carnosine from rat intestine was studied in vivo by a force feeding method and in vitro using an everted sac method. Possibility of anserine and carnosine hydrolysis prior to intestinal absorption was also investigated using a glycylleucine dipeptidase-containing fraction prepared from rat intestine. The following results were obtained. 1) Anserine and carnosine were absorbed as they were from rat small intestine. 2) Both anserine and carnosine were partially hydrolyzed in vitro by the glycylleucine dipeptidase-containing fraction. Carnosine was hydrolyzed faster than anserine. The above rather conflicting results suggest that physiological amounts of anserine and carnosine might be absorbed from rat small intestine in dipeptide forms.