Partition of Calcium and Phosphorus Excretion in the Laying Hen

Abstract

THE need for surgery as a prerequisite to the separate collection of urine and fæces in birds has restricted our knowledge of their excretion pattern. Recently, the nitrogenous excretions of chickens have been investigated¹, but no data have as yet been published on the partition of calcium and phosphorus excretions. In order to study these excretions in laying hens, colostomies were performed by exteriorizing the distal end of the colon at a point between the ischium and the abdominal midline at the right side, approximately 1 in. anterior to the ventral lip of the cloaca, essentially as described by Ariyoshi². In most birds the operation did not disturb egg production. For the collection of fæces, a polyethylene collar provided with a thread was sutured to the skin surrounding the exteriorized intestine, and a wide-mouth bottle of the same material screwed into the collar.