ENDOGENOUS AMINO-ACIDS IN BUDGERIGARS (MELOPSITTACUS-UNDULATUS)

To determine the amount of endogenous amino acids in budgerigars (seki seiinko, Melopsittacus undulatus), as the first step of evaluating ami no acid requirements, three experiments were conducted. In Experiments 1 and 2, transit time of the feeds through the digestive tract in bud gerigars was studied. The birds were given free access to a corn-based diet containing 50% barium sulfate in Experiment 1, and Japanese mill ets (hie, Echinochloa utilis) with 0.5 ml of 50% barium sulfate soluti on in Experiment 2. At intervals of 0.5 to 2 hr, roentgenography was c onducted to identify the position of the barium sulfate in the digesti ve tract. The results showed that the transit time of pellets and mill ets in the digestive tract was within 24 and 27 hr, respectively, in E xperiment 3, to determine the amount of endogenous amino acids in budg erigars, the excreta were collected for 24 hr, from 27 to 51 hr after fasting. The excreta were hydrolyzed with 6 N hydrochloric acid at 110 degrees C for 22 hr for the determination of amino acids by HPLC. The endogenous Ala, Arg, Leu, Lys, Phe and Val were estimated to be 34.9, 36.8, 18.5 20.3, 15.3 and 18.9 mu g/day/BW0.75, respectively, which w ere higher than those in adult roosters.