Quantitative Studies on the Variations in Feeding Activity of Chickens

To obtain quantitative information on the feeding actitvity of chickens, an apparatus for the continuous measurement of diurnal changes in feed intake and time spent eating was developed.The apparatus consists of three main parts: a feed trough on a spring balance, a shock absorber unit and a pen-writing clockwork recorder. The ascending motion of the feed trough on the spring balance is transmitted to the pen recorder in accordance with the decrease in amount of feed. The changes in the amount of feed eaten are thus detected from the ascending distances recorded on the chart of the recorder. The time spent eating is also detected from the length of the pecking time which is represented by the vertical vibrations on the chart.In the application of the apparatus to adult hens, a change in weight of 1g for feed intake and a change in time of 3 minutes for time spent eating can be detected. The mean value of the errors of the measurements is 3.3g for weight and 3.6 minutes for time.On the basis of the evidence obtained from the test, it has been confirmed that this type of apparatus should be useful for measuring the diurnal changes in feeding activity and for analyzing the feeding behavior of chickens.