Interrelationships between environmental temperature and nutritional status of chicks
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Thermal Imaging to Study Stress Non-invasively in Unrestrained Birds
Published on: November 6, 2015
Abstract:
The interrelationship between nutritional status and resistance to acute heat stress has been studied in chicks. Fasting up to 72 hours progressively increases survival time. Chicks that had been consuming a diet in which all nonprotein calories were supplied as triglycerides as compared to glucose survive longer in both nonfasted and 48-hour fasted states. Phosphorus deficiency reduces survival time of 24- or 48-hour fasted chicks but not nonfasted chicks. A calcium deficiency enhances survival time of 24-hour fasted chicks subjected to heat stress but a calcium excess progressively reduces survival time. The chick may serve as a model to study the relationship of nutritional status to acute heat stress.
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