Responses to Dietary Self Selection and Calories in Liquid Form by Weight Selected Lines of Chickens

Feed intake of adult White Plymouth Rock male chickens from lines selected for high (HW) and low (LW) juvenile body weight was examined as a function of dietary self selection, glucose solutions in lieu of water, and environmental temperature. More energy was consumed by LW males allowed to select between high protein and high energy diets and when glucose solutions were provided in lieu of water, than on complete diets. In contrast, these regimens had relatively little influence on caloric intake in the HW line. On split diets, protein consumption was reduced in both the HW and LW lines, indicating that both populations overconsumed protein when fed complete diets.