Effects of Dietary Protein Level and Environmental Temperature Stress on Growth of Young Ring-Necked Pheasants

Warner, Richard E.; Darda, D. M.; Baker, David H.

doi:10.3382/ps.0610673

Cited by 8 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…The protein content of food during the early development of pheasant chicks had a large impact on growth of both tarsus and mass, a result also found in studies of other precocial birds , including the pheasant (Warner and Darda 1982). However, chicks demonstrated compensatory growth (Schew and Ricklefs 1998) after the experimental periods.…”

Section: Morphologymentioning

confidence: 61%

Early Nutrition Causes Persistent Effects on Pheasant Morphology

Ohlsson

Smith

2001

Physiological and Biochemical Zoology

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Differences in growth conditions during early ontogeny have been suggested to cause permanent effects on the morphology and quality of birds. Yearly variation in growth conditions could thus result in morphological and quality differences between cohorts. In this study, we investigated the effect of small differences in the dietary protein content of captive ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) during their first 8 wk posthatching. An experimental increase of the proportion of dietary protein during the first 3 wk of life accelerated growth, whereas a similar manipulation during the following 5 wk had only a limited effect. Compensatory growth during the postexperimental period equalized the size of chicks from different experimental treatments. However, a difference in tarsus length resulting from experimental treatment during the first 3 wk remained into adulthood. Furthermore, the protein content of the diet during the first 3 wk had an effect on the degree of fluctuating asymmetry in tarsus length, suggesting persistent effects on the quality of birds. The results of this study may explain size differences between cohorts that exist in pheasants and may also provide a link between the use of pesticides in agriculture and population effects on pheasants.

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Section: Morphologymentioning

confidence: 61%

Early Nutrition Causes Persistent Effects on Pheasant Morphology

Ohlsson

Smith

2001

Physiological and Biochemical Zoology

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“…Lond. B (2002) less than 20% protein (Woodard et al 1977), and we used the turkey starter as our high-protein-treatment fodder because we wanted to use a fodder that met the known protein requirements of ring-necked pheasant chicks (Woodard et al 1977;Warner et al 1982).…”

Section: Methods (A) Experimental Set-upmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pheasant sexual ornaments reflect nutritional conditions during early growth

Ohlsson

Smith²,

Råberg³

et al. 2002

Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B

101

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Differences in growth conditions during early life have been suggested to cause long-lasting effects on morphology and quality of adult birds. We experimentally investigated the effect of early growth conditions on the expression of sexual ornaments later in life in male ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus). We also investigated the effects on immune function, as it could be a functional link between early nutrition and ornament expression. We manipulated the dietary protein intake during the first eight weeks post hatching. Males receiving fodder with 27% protein during the first three weeks of life grew larger and more colourful wattles when sexually mature than males receiving a low-protein diet (20.5% protein). Spur length was unaffected by diet treatment. Manipulation of food protein levels during weeks 4-8 after hatching had no effect on the development of ornaments. The different protein treatments had no longterm effect on either humoral or cell-mediated immune responses. There was, however, a positive relationship between spur length and cell-mediated immune responsiveness. Our study shows that expression of a sexual ornament in adult pheasants reflects nutritional conditions early in life. Because the expression of secondary sexual ornaments is affected by conditions during early growth, by selecting more ornamented males, females would choose mates that are superior at handling early nutritional stress. If the susceptibility to early nutritional stress also has a hereditary basis, females may benefit by obtaining 'good genes'.

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“…2), and percentage IF in the diet (Table 1). With pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) chicks, growth rate is higher with a high-protein (280 g/kg) diet than a low-protein (180 g/kg) one, but only during the first 3 weeks of life (Warner et al 1982). 1984; Hill, 1985;Hudson, 1986) may tend to underestimate overall consumption of IF.…”

Section: Vol 48mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, chicks kept at 32" do not require carbohydrate as a source of thermoregulatory energy after becoming completely homeothermic, whereas those at 25" do. Considerable heat is also produced during metabolism of protein (Tasaki & Kushima, 1980), so chicks kept at higher ambient temperatures must limit protein consumption in order to avoid heat stress, and daily food intake and growth rate decline rapidly with increasing temperature above about 26" (Warner et al 1982;Howlider & Rose, 1987). In the wild, therefore, percentage IF in chick diets may be related positively to ambient temperature for thermoregulatory reasons, irrespective of variation in availability.…”

Section: Reasons For Variation In Consumption Of If Within Species Atmentioning

confidence: 99%

The importance of invertebrate food to chicks of gallinaceous species

Savory

1989

Proc. Nutr. Soc.

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Effects of Dietary Protein Level and Environmental Temperature Stress on Growth of Young Ring-Necked Pheasants

Cited by 8 publications

References 7 publications

Early Nutrition Causes Persistent Effects on Pheasant Morphology

Early Nutrition Causes Persistent Effects on Pheasant Morphology

Pheasant sexual ornaments reflect nutritional conditions during early growth

The importance of invertebrate food to chicks of gallinaceous species

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