Effect of High Levels of Dietary Salt on Growth Performance, Livability and Carcass Composition of Broilers PDF

Keywords

Chicks, carcass, dietary salt

Abstract

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of adding high salt levels (2 and 2.4% salt) to starter and finisher diets (0.35% salt) on performance. livability and carcass composition of Hybro and Hypeco broiler chickens. Results of this experiment revealed that body weights were not significantly affected by dietary salt level. Feed intake was significantly (p ≥ .05) reduced as the dietary salt level was increased, whereas water intake increased almost linearly with the level of dietary salt. Feed: gain ratio of chickens fed the high salt diets (2 and 2.4% salt) were significantly (p ≥ .05) better than those fed the 0.35% diet. Water: feed ratio was also higher. whereas livability was lower (p ≥ .05) in chickens on the high salt diets. Abdominal fat / body weight and carcass composition were not affected by treatment except for the 6 wk carcass ash which was significantly (p ≥ .05) higher for the 2.4% salt group. Strain had a highly significant (p ≤ .01) effect on abdominal fat/body weight and carcass fat. Young chicks up to 4 wk of age were apparently more susceptible to toxic effects of salt than older birds, as shown by livability record.