Food, calcium and water intakes by hens lit continuously from hatching

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Abstract
Five individually caged Leghorn hens, reared from hatching under continuous light and having their ovipositions uniformly scattered throughout the 24 h period, were used to study voluntary intakes of a diet low in Ca, oyster shell and water. Food intake was high just after ovulation, decreased during the first 16 h of egg formation, rose transiently 20-22 h after ovulation and was minimal just before oviposition. Oyster shell intake was characterized by 3 peaks, 2 coincided with those of food diet but the 3rd, occurring between 8-12 h after previous oviposition, could be related to the immediate Ca need of shell formation. Water intake followed a similar pattern to food intake but there was an independent rise during albumen plumping (6-8 h after previous oviposition).