Occurrence of reverse pertistalsis in broiler chickens

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the occurrence and possible effects of certain dietary ingredients on reverse peristalsis or reflux in broiler chickens. The first experiment was a preliminary study into the occurrence of reflux while the second experiment investigated the passage of a bacterial marker and Cr-EDTA in birds fed diets of varying viscosities. The results suggest that reflux occurs throughout the digestive tract of both fasted and fed chickens. Reflux appears to be part of normal gut motility and a possible adaptive response to an absence of food, indicating that it serves to extend the digestive process. Dietary ingredients are likely to affect reflux , especially ingredients that increase digesta viscosity in the lumen. In addition, microbial populations may be relocated by reverse peristaltic contractions.