| Popis: |
APPARENTLY it is commonly believed by commercial poultrymen that the drinking water given to young chicks should be warm, or at least not real cold. That belief is fostered by statements similar to the following which appears in a booklet prepared for free distribution by a commercial concern: “Never give chicks cold water. It chills the digestive tract, retards digestion, and may start serious trouble.” The statement is also sometimes made that permitting young chicks to drink cold water will interfere with the normal assimilation of unabsorbed yolk. A review of the literature available to the writer revealed no experimental data concerning the effect of cold water on yolk absorption by young chicks, or its effect on the digestion of nutrients. Accordingly, a series of short tests were made at the Southwest Poultry Experiment Station, Glendale, Arizona, to obtain such data. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Leghorn chicks were used in all tests. |
