title: Learning ability of 1-d-old partridges (Alectoris rufa) from eggs laid by hens fed with different n-3 fatty acid concentrations.
abstract: 1. The diets of commercial strains of laying partridge are usually lower in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and n-3 fatty acids than the diets of wild partridges. The aim of this experiment was to examine the effects of three different PUFA and n-3 concentrations in partridge laying diets. 2. Offspring learning ability (passive avoidance test of 1-d-old chicks) was used to assess the effect of three different maternal diets (144 chicks were tested for each diet). A negative experience, allowing the bird to peck a bead bathed in a bitter liquid (methyl anthranilate-MA), was used for this purpose. The adults had been fed one of three different diets with n-3 contents of 0.48, 4.04 or 7.60 g/kg. 3. There was better memory retention in the offspring of adults fed the intermediate n-3 content compared to those fed the lower content. Discrimination ratio (DR) of the latency time toward the wrong (red) bead was less for the lower n-3 content (0.48) than for the middle n-3 PUFA content (0.43). DR of the number of pecks toward the wrong beads was greater for the lower n-3 content (0.51) than for the middle n-3 PUFA content (0.71). 4. The partridges fed the diet containing the lowest concentration of n-3 and PUFA were unable to express the expected behavioural score (neural embryo development index) given the genetic characteristics of the animals.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Produzioni Animali, Università degli Studi di Pisa, Pisa, Italy. bfronte@vet.unipi.it
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fronte
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Paci
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Montanari
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bagliacca
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D004032:Diet; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000187:drug effects; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000187:drug effects; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D046094:Galliformes / Q000502:physiology*; D007858:Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D010063:Ovum / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated