Table 3.

Variation in mucin composition in the jejunum and ileum of birds with full access to feed (FD) post-hatch or subjected to delay in feeding (NFD) early post-hatch.

Time [h]	Site	Mucin	Jejunum		Ileum
			FD	NFD	FD	NFD
01	Villi	Neutral Acidic Mixed	++ + +++		+ + ++
	Crypt2	Neutral Acidic Mixed	--------		++ ++ +
4	Villi	Neutral Acidic Mixed	+++ ++ +++	++ ++ ++	+ ++ ++	+ + +++
	Crypt	Neutral Acidic Mixed	++++ − +	+ ++ +	++ − ++	+ + +
24	Villi	Neutral Acidic Mixed	+ ++ ++	+ + +++	++ + +++	+ +++ ++
	Crypt	Neutral Acidic Mixed	+ +++ ++	+++ + ++	+++ + ++	++ + ++
48	Villi	Neutral Acidic Mixed	+ + +++	+ ++ +++	++ − +++	+ +++ ++
	Crypt	Neutral Acidic Mixed	++ + ++	+++ + +	+++ ++ ++	+++ + ++
72	Villi	Neutral Acidic Mixed	+++ − +++	++ ++ ++	++ ++ +++	+ +++ ++
	Crypt	Neutral Acidic Mixed	++ ++ +	++ + +	+++ − ++	++ +++ +
963	Villi	Neutral Acidic Mixed	++ − ++	++ −/+ +++
	Crypt	Neutral Acidic Mixed	++ + ++	++ + ++

−/+++ Visual assessment of the proportion of cells stained pink (neutral mucin), blue (acidic mucin), and purple (mixed mucin) in the jejunum (Figure 7) and ileum (Figure 8).

¹At hatch, there was only one group of birds, the birds were split into FD and NFD after hatch.

²There were no distinguishable crypts visible at hatch in the jejunum.

³Selection of samples for mucin staining was based on MUC2 mRNA expression changes during development.