Water Metabolism of the Domestic Fowl From Hatching to Maturity

¹ From the Department of Physiology, New York State Veterinary College, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

The total evaporative water loss, total body water by the direct method and the basal metabolic rate were determined on domestic fowl at various stages of growth. The trials were conducted on a total of 440 birds. The combined respiratory and cutaneous water loss was high on the 1st day of life, dropped to a minimum between 1 and 2 weeks of age, rose sharply at 2–4 weeks of age, then gradually tapered off to the value observed in the adult. The total body water and the total body water on a fat-free basis was quite high on the 1st day of life, then gradually decreased to that of the adult. The basal metabolic rate was low on the 1st day, rose sharply to a maximum at 2–4 weeks of age and then gradually tapered off to that of the adult.