Effects of diet and gizzard muscularity on grit use in domestic chickens.

ABSTRACT: The gizzard is the only gastrointestinal organ for mechanical processing in birds. Many birds use grit in the gizzard to enhance mechanical processing efficiency. We conducted an experiment to test the factors that affect chicken grit use in 68 male layer chicks of Gallus gallus domesticus, which were divided into two different groups in gizzard muscularity (high and low). Within each muscularity group, two different diets were provided (herbivory and non-herbivory) to test whether diet and gizzard muscularity affect grit characteristics including amount, size, and shape (circularity, roundness, and solidity) at different stages of digestion (ingested grit, grit in gizzard, and excreted grit). All animals ingested more grit than they excreted, possibly because excreted grit was belo

SUBMITTER: Takasaki R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7666813 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature