Mar. 3,19*3 
Time Required for Food to Pass through Fowls 
723 
Test No. 9.—Buff Plymouth Rock hen, in laying condition, leg band No. 26, weight, 
5.5 pounds. 
7 a. m. Fed 20 gm. wheat middlings mixed with water and lampblack. 
10 a. m. First excreta voided; excreta black. 
7a.m. Fourth day. Excreta normal. 
The indicator showed that food had passed the entire digestive tract in 3 hours. 
An egg was laid the first day of the experiment. 
Test No. 10.—Buff Plymouth Rock hen, in laying condition, weight, 6 pounds, leg 
band No. 28. 
7 a. m. Fed 20 gm. wheat middlings with water and lampblack. 
10.05 a. m. First excreta voided; excreta black. 
7 a. m. Fourth day. After 72 hours excreta normal. 
The indicator showed that food passed through the intestinal tract in approxi¬ 
mately 3 hours. This hen laid one egg on the first day of the experiment. 
Test No. ii.—B uff Plymouth Rock hen, weight, 6 pounds, leg band No. 30, in laying 
condition. 
7 a. m. Fed 20 gm. wheat middlings mixed with water and lampblack. 
10.00 a. m. First excreta voided; lampblack present. 
3.30 p. m. Third day. All trace of lampblack gone. 
The hen laid an egg each of the first two days. The indicator showed that food 
had passed the entire length of the digestive tract in approximately 3 hours. 
It was noted in the latter part of this experiment thlat die outside of the fecal 
mass was black and the inside not colored. This raised the question as to 
whether lampblack will adhere to the intestinal mucosa and be gradually 
eliminated by the feces as it passes along. In the small intestines where the 
food is mixed by the pouring back and fourth process, it evidently would be 
mixed with the food. With these ideas in mind, it was decided to try some 
tests with aniline blue dyes, which would stain the feeds but not be in a form 
to be carried along mechanically as was the lampblack. 
Test No. 12. —Columbian Wyandotte hen, leg band No. 26, weight, 5.4 pounds. 
7 a. m. Fed 5 gm. whole com soaked in gentian violet water. 
4 p. m. Given 20 gm. soaked in gentian violet water. 
7.30 a. m. Second day. First evacuation. Excreta watery in consistency and 
greenish in color, indicating at first a tendency to constipation and later 
diarrhea. 
This test was considered unsatisfactory. 
Test No. 13.—Columbian Wyandotte hen, leg band No. 28, weight, 5.6 pounds. 
7 a. m. Fed 4 gm. whole com soaked in gentian violet water. There was no 
evacuation during the day. 
8.45 a. m. Second day. First evacuation watery in consistency and greenish 
in color. 
This test was unsatisfactory for same reason as No. 12. 
Test No. 14.—Columbian Wyandotte hen, leg band No. 31, weight 6 pounds. 
7 a. m. Fed 3 gm. whole com soaked in gentian violet water. 
6 p. m. First evacuation, greenish and watery in consistency. The consti¬ 
pating effect was not so great as in the two previous cases. 
This test was considered unfavorable and unsatisfactory. 
Test No. 15. —Columbian Wyandotte hen, leg band No. 32, weight 5.7 pounds. 
7 a. m. Fed 10 gm. whole com soaked in gentian violet water. 
9 a. m. Second day. First evacuation. Feces greenish and watery. The hen 
appeared weak. Again the gentian violet appeared to cause constipation 
followed by diarrhea, apparently due to irritation of the mucosa of the bowel. 
This test was considered unsatisfactory. 
Test No. 16. —Buff Plymouth Rock hen, leg band No. 26, weight 5.8 pounds. 
8.30 a. m. Fed com meal mixed with methylene blue water. 
11.40 a. m. First excreta voided; excreta blue. 
7 a. m. Fourth day. After 72 hours excreta normal. 
Food passed through the intestinal tract in 3 hours and 10 minutes. There was 
some irritation. This bird was in laying condition. 
Test No. 17. —Buff Plymouth Rock hen, leg band No. 28, weight 6 pounds. 
8.30 a. m. Fed 35 gm. com meal mixed with methylene blue water. 
11.00 a. m. First excreta voided. Excreta were blue. There was some irrita¬ 
tion at this time, evidenced by slight watery condition of the excreta. 
8.30 a. m. Fourth day. After 72 hours all traces of the blue had disappeared. 
Food passed through the digestive tract in 2 hours and 30 minutes. This bird was 
in laying condition. There was again evidence of irritation. 
