The present study set out to determine if providing supplemental
ascorbic acid to chickens maintained at an elevated
temperature affects inferred heat loss based on simultaneous
measurement of body core temperature and heat production
using indirect calorimetry. Rationale for doing so is based on
earlier reports that dietary supplementation with ascorbic acid
lowers the body temperature of chickens maintained at elevated
environmental temperatures (Kutlu and Forbes, 1993; Thornton,
1962; Attia, 1976). Although 34 C represents a modest elevation
in environmental temperature it is important to note that all birds
exhibited panting inside the calorimeter