Food intake and crop emptying rate of chickens treated with guanethidine

The effect of guanethidine on feeding behavior was investigated in the chicken. Graded levels of chronically administered guanethidine, an adrenergic neurone blocker, at 0, 25, 50 and 100 mg/kg body weight, decreased body weight gain and food intake in a dose dependent manner. The effect of acute guanethidine administration on crop emptying rate of the chicken was also investigated. The highest level (10 mg i.v./kg body weight) of guanethidine significantly delayed crop emptying compared with the control. These results suggest that the sympathetic nervous system in the chicken is an important factor for the regulation of feeding behavior associated with food passage from the crop.