Body Temperature of Turkey Poults Exposed to Simulated Chilling Rain

• Published in: Poultry Science
• Main Authors: Jones, J. E., Barnett, B. D.
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford University Press 1971
• Subjects: Research Notes; Arctic; Scholander; Arctic birds
• Online Access: http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/50/3/972; https://doi.org/10.3382/ps.0500972

Scholander et al. (1950) observed in Arctic birds that adaptation to cold was dependent upon time. They further concluded that adaptation of mammals was not accomplished by lowering of body temperature since reindeer and dogs had normal rectal temperatures at −45°C. Insulation was found to be the most important criteria in cold adaptation. Sellers et al. (1951) found rat adaptation to cold to be fully developed in 4–6 weeks. Their work was based on survival time of clipped rats. Sturkie (1946) induced hypothermia in chickens by immersing them in water at a temperature of 20° C. Shivering occurred at first but did not prevent the body temperature from decreasing. Since it is common practice to range turkeys with exposure to all types of climatic conditions, the following study was undertaken to determine what effect chilling rain would have on turkey poults 8 weeks of age. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty-four . . .