title: Early visual experience of food does not appear to reduce subsequent feed neophobia in turkeys.
abstract: Turkeys may reduce their feed intake because of neophobia toward a new diet; however, their feeding behavior is not well known. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate the effects of diet color on behavior and feed intake in turkeys. For 2 wk, 2 groups of 1-day-old turkey chicks were fed diets varying in color but of the same composition: light-colored crumbles (LC group) or dark-colored crumbles (DC group). Both groups (total n = 144) were then fed a novel diet of green crumbles for the next 2 wk. On d 30, the original groups were each divided into 3 groups and received light, dark, or green pellets. We postulated that neophobia on d 30 would be reduced for chicks fed 1) green pellets compared with diets of other colors because of the effect of recent experience, and 2) a diet of a color that was previously encountered over the first 2 wk of life. Behavior and feed intake were measured on the days before and during each feed transition at 5 min after the changeover feed to observe the short-term reaction. On the first transition day, birds in the LC group decreased their feed intake significantly at 5 min, unlike birds in the DC group, which increased their feed intake. Exploratory behavior increased in both groups when they received green crumbles on the transition day, indicating a response to the color. The changeover to pellets induced a reduction in feed intake in all groups at 5 min, but, in line with our first hypothesis, behavioral changes were less pronounced in birds receiving green pellets. However, turkeys in the DC group did not eat more dark-colored pellets than those in the other groups, and turkeys in the LC group did not eat more light-colored pellets. In the present experiment, we conclude that previous visual experience did not reduce subsequent feed neophobia but that color continuity facilitated a diet change from one feed form to another.
authors.affiliation: Institut Technique de l'Aviculture, Nouzilly, France.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lecuelle
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bouvarel
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Chagneau
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Laviron
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lescoat
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Leterrier
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D014422:Turkeys / Q000502:physiology*; D014796:Visual Perception