Some observations on the caecal micro‐flora of the chick during the first two weeks of life

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Abstract
1. Changes in the caecal flora of chicks aged from approximately 3 h to 14 d were studied. 2. Counts obtained by means of a conventional anaerobic plating method and a method for the stricter anaerobes remained comparable throughout but occasionally it was found that strains of anaerobic bacteria isolated from the predominant flora of 4‐ to 14‐d‐old birds could not be grown when tested by the conventional method. 3. During the 14‐d period approximately 100% of the organisms isolated on anaerobic plates utilised uric acid up to the third day but the incidence subsequently declined and in one case represented only 4% of the total flora. 4. The predominant uric acid‐utilising bacteria were Streptococcus faecalis and Escherichia coli up to 3 d of age and various types of anaerobic bacteria thereafter. 5. None of the isolates showed an absolute requirement for uric acid.