Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Taste
Chickens have a specific taste for only so much sodium chloride and will not eat food
with a salt concentration exceeding 0.9 percent. They have a range of acceptance for
sour, and show a sensitivity to bitter taste. It is reported that they do not have a preferen-
ce for sugars. I have noticed, however, that they will go for watermelons and muskmel-
ons over cucumbers and squash when given a choice. I have also seen a preference for
fruits such as peaches and apples over tomatoes. In fact, turkeys almost seem addicted to
sweet things such as watermelons and muskmelons and will go to great lengths to gain
access to them. If I put down piles of cucumbers and tomatoes and squash and then drop
a fresh melon, they will go to the melon every time.
Smell
Like other poultry, chickens have a sense of smell, some sharper than others. Although
most fowl don't have the ability to smell dead things at a great distance, as vultures do,
they do tend to combine their senses to locate areas where insects might be, such as fly
larvae devouring a rotting carcass.
The Endocrine System
Endocrine glands
produce hormones in a bird's body. These glands include: pituitary-
hypothalamus complex, gonads, pancreas, adrenals, thyroid, parathyroid, ultimobran-
chial, and pineal. For a more detailed study of each of these, you may wish to consult the
numerable reputable topics on avian physiology as well as many websites on the topic.
Pituitary Gland
The
pituitary gland
is the master gland of the body and works in conjunction with the
hypothalamus. This gland secretes several types of hormones, including gonadotropins,
thyrotropin, prolactin, somatotropin, and adenocorticotropic hormone.
The gonadotropin hormones of the most concern to the backyard poultry person are
LH and FSH. In male chickens, LH acts to stimulate the Leydig cells, which differen-
tiate and produce testosterone. FSH promotes production of sperm. Both LH and FSH
are important in the female system as well. LH induces ovulation, and both LH and FSH
stimulate the production of several steroid hormones.
Thyrotropin, prolactin, somatotropin, and adrenocorticotropic hormones are import-
ant to the regulatory balance of the health of poultry. Each has a specific purpose for
regulation of a body process and, as with humans, all need to function properly for birds
to grow and thrive. There's not much a home raiser can do to change the levels of these
in their poultry; it's not the same as in humans, where a doctor can prescribe medicines
