Taste and Food Intake in Domesticated and Jungle Fowl

Domestic and jungle fowl were tested to determine their response to a sucrose solution when the caloric density of their diet was increased or decreased. Neither the domestic nor jungle fowl exhibited an avidity for sucrose solutions. The caloric intake of the birds fed an adequate diet was not significantly different with or without a sucrose solution choice. However, the nutritive state modified preference behavior and volume intake of sucrose solutions. In short-term trials where the caloric source was available in solution, the preference behavior of the jungle fowl was more complementary to nutritional need than that of the domesticated bird. The jungle fowl corrected for diet dilution more effectively and reduced food intake after diet enrichment. However, both groups failed to reject the sugar solution when eating the calorie-enriched diet. Domestication appears to have produced an animal with diminished sensitivity to caloric regulation.