Journal of the Yamashina Institute for Ornithology
Online ISSN : 1883-3659
Print ISSN : 0044-0183
ISSN-L : 0044-0183
Comparative growth rate in two Grey Starling chicks, artificially raised with animal and plant foods
Nagahisa Kuroda
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1962 Volume 3 Issue 3 Pages 174-184

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Abstract

In field study, already published, it was found that the rural Grey Starling chicks (Sturnus cineraceus) were fed primarily with mole-crickets and no vegetable matter mixed, while the city chicks were given variety of animal and vegetable foods, of which the cherries were predominant item. The growth rate of chicks under this different food supply by the parents was generally uniformly good in rural broods and somewhat more variable in those of the city zone, among which an exceptional case of inferior chick growth was included.
This was suspected to be the result of over or exclusive feeding of cherries by the parents, since their cherry preference was variable as shown by the number of vomitted cherry stones (by chicks) left it the nest boxes.
The present study was aimed to compare the growth rate of chicks artificially raised with animal food and cherries. As animal food, the mole-cricket was not available in sufficient number, so the basket-worms which were found abundantly enough in the garden were substituted.
Two chicks, A (male) and B (female), of the fifth day of age were used, and during 7-10th days A was fed with basket-worms and B with cherries. As the result, the growth of B delayed and it was weakened. So, during the next four days, the foods were reversed (though A was fed first two days with artificial pasted food, the following two days with the cherries) and on the first two days the mole-crickets were given as supplemental food equally to A and B (This caused their equall acceleration of growth).
This reverse feeding resulted in the reversal of body weights of A and B, this time B becoming heavier than A. Later they were equally fed with pasted food and nine days after A, the male, again became heavier than B, the female (thus the influence of the cherry ceased) and on the 24th day of age, the growth of the birds stopped, reaching maturity as young birds.
These data were supported by the very low protein and nitrogen content in the cherries used in the experiment as compared with the basket-worms (Also, known nutrient analyses of edible cherries and silk-worm are cited (Table 6 and 7)).
The body length, keel length and parts of limbs were also measured, but the influence of food change upon these was not disctinct as in the body weight and they were not reversed when food was reversed. However, longer bones seemed to be more affected than shorter bones, and the maturity (or stop) of growth was delayed in longer than shorter bones. The growth of wing quills was not affected by the subsequent change of food (after 10 days old) but the effect of initial food difference (before 10 days old) might have continued until their full growth.

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