Abstract
Summary
A comparison of the alimentary absorption rates of 13 sugars in 14-day-old chicks indicated that D-galactose, D-glucose, D-xylose and D-fructose are selectively absorbed by this species. Furthermore, the ability to selectively absorb sugars seems to be fully developed in chicks just 3 days of age. In contrast to these older birds, embryos and 0-day-old chicks absorbed D-glucose and D-xylose at rates suggestive of a passive mode of absorption. These data have been interpreted as meaning that the selective absorptive capacity of the chick gut is not maximally developed until 1 to 3 days after hatching.
The author is indebted to Dr. Frank H. Wilcox for his guidance during this investigation.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.