| Abstract: | 12 colostomized laying hens received, together with a conventional feed ration, 15N labelled wheat with a 15N excess (15N') of 14.37 atom-% over 4 days. 3 animals each were butchered after 12 h, 36 h, 60 h and 108 h after the last 15N' application and, apart from various organs, the contents and the tissue of the gastro-intestinal tract of each hen was divided into 3 fractions. TCA precipitation was carried out with the contents and the tissue of the 3 fractions. Nitrogen and its atom-% 15N' were determined in the supernatant and the precipitate. The 15N' amount in the contents of the crop and the stomachs, the small and large intestines is still considerable 12 h after the last 15N wheat feeding and still clearly detectable 108 h after it. The TCA precipitable amounts of 14N and 15N' of the contents of crop and stomach and that of the small intestine agree well; they are 75% and 50% resp. of the total N. The amount of atom-% 15N' of the contents of the small and large intestines remains the same up to 36 h after the last 15N' application and is higher at the following measuring points in the contents of the large intestine. A close correlation could be ascertained between the atom-% 15N' in the contents and tissue of the small and large intestines. The TCA soluble N quotas of both 14N and 15N' in the pancreas are higher than 50%. |
