The Influence of the Sense of Taste on Feed and Fluid Consumption

HUNGER can be described as an uneasy sensation. The point at which this feeling joins that of appetite in influencing feed or fluid intake is debatable. Both hunger and appetite can be eclipsed by the feeling of satiety. Obviously it would be of interest to be able to regulate chemically feed or fluid intake. Sizemore and Lillie (1956) and also Romoser et al. (1958) working with a variety of flavors detected no significant influence on feed intake or efficiency. Kare et al. (1957) demonstrated that the fowl has an acute sense of taste. To test the influence of flavor on feed intake it is reasonable to start with a flavor whose taste stimulation qualities have been established for the experimental animal in the stydy. For example, using the common sugars as a sweetener in chicken feeds would be pointless since the fowl is indifferent to dextrose or sucrose (Kare and …