Squab were tested on their ability to handle millet during weeks 3-5 after hatching.  The millet we used for testing is about 2 mm in diameter and is often the first seed handled efficiently by squab when they are reared on mixed seed.  Nerve sections were made when squab were 36-48 hours post-hatch. Normally reared and sham operated  squab are efficient at eating the seed.  Reduction of the trigeminal sensory input slows the development of efficient eating.  The experimental subjects were given either unilateral or bilateral sections of a single branch of the sensory nerve (either mandibular or opthalmic branch).  The delay in development was related to the degree of disruption in the sensory input.  In the 5th, week squab with unilateral lesions were approaching the efficiency of the  unsectioned subjects whereas the squab with bilateral lesions were just beginning to show signs of improvement.