Studies on the Taste Preference of the Chick

THE EARLY WORK on the sense of taste of the fowl has been reviewed by Kare et al. (1957). Differences in experimental methods limited the comparison of the results of this early work. Kare et al. (1957) conducted studies to determine flavors which evoked a strong taste reaction in the fowl. These authors chose water as the medium to test flavors and found a rejection of earthy flavors such as costus and sandalwood. Other flavors were found to be accepted or rejected depending on the concentration of the flavor, indicating variable effects of flavors depending on the concentration. It was also observed that the classification of taste recognized by man, such as sweet, salt, sour and bitter does not appear to apply t o the fowl. Histological studies by Lindenmaier and Kare (1959) on chickens showed that taste buds were found only on the base of the tongue and floor …