Comparative behavior of strontium-calcium and cesium-potassium in the fowl

¹ Poultry Department and Department of Physical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

Under normal dietary conditions, but with varying levels of calcium, radiocalcium was preferentially used over radiostrontium as shown by double tracer studies with growing cockerels (OR_bone-diet = 0.6). With laying hens the bone, egg shell and egg yolk showed the expected OR value of 0.5–0.6; the plasma and egg white, however, showed OR values greater than 1, about 1.5. Studies with Cs¹³⁷ and K⁴² indicated a nonuniformity of accumulation among tissues. The high Cs*/K* ratios in kidney appeared to result from a comparatively lowered capacity for potassium accumulation.