title: Digestion and absorption in the young chick.
abstract: Digestion, enzyme secretion and intestinal rate of passage were determined in broiler chicks from hatch until 21 d using 141Ce as a nonabsorbed reference substance. Body weight and feed intake increased more rapidly after 10 d posthatch, and, in parallel, time of passage of feed through the intestines decreased by approximately 33%. Net duodenal secretion of amylase, trypsin, and lipase was low at 4 d and increased 100-, 50-, and 20-fold, respectively, by 21 d. Enzyme activity decreased distally in the small intestine. This change was greater with age. The contribution of the ileum to fatty acid absorption decreased after 7 d. Small intestine digestion of nitrogen increased from 78% at 4 d to 92% at 21 d, whereas fatty acid and starch digestion ranged from 82 to 89% in this period. It appears that digestibilities of starch and lipids are not limiting factors in the growth of young chicks.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Agriculture, Hebrew University, Rehovot, Israel.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Noy
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sklan
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000502:physiology*; D001835:Body Weight; D002645:Chickens / Q000502:physiology*; D004063:Digestion / Q000502:physiology*; D004386:Duodenum / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D004435:Eating; D005772:Gastrointestinal Transit; D007408:Intestinal Absorption / Q000502:physiology*