Evaluation of sodium bicarbonate, chloride, or sulfate with a coccidiostat in corn-soy or corn-soy-meat diets for broiler chickens.
During the period from January to June, combined-sex broiler chickens were inoculated with coccidia via drinking water at 14 d of age. In a completely randomized design (eight replicate pens; 88 chicks per pen) using built-up litter, experimental diets contained monensin plus 0.20% dietary sodium bicarbonate (SBC), which provided 0.054% sodium and 0.144% bicarbonate. Treatment with SBC significantly improved coccidial lesion score, 45-d body weight, and feed efficiency compared with monensin alone. In a 2 x 5 factorial trial using built-up litter pens (eight replicate pens; 88 chicks per pen) vs. each ionophore alone, 0.20% dietary SBC with monensin significantly improved body weight, uniformity, and feed efficiency; 0.20% SBC with halifuginone, lasalocid, monensin, or salinomycin significantly reduced mortality; and 0.20% SBC with lasalocid, monensin, or salinomycin significantly increased breast meat yield. In a 2x4 factorial trial (12 replicate pens; 88 chicks per pen) on built-up litter, corn-soy and corn-soy-meat diets (higher potassium, lower chloride) with monensin were evaluated using 0.054% sodium from SBC, NaCl, or sodium sulfate decahydrate (SSD). With both diet types, SBC (0.20%) or NaCl (0.139% extra) significantly improved weight uniformity, feed efficiency, mortality, and breast meat yield; however, the SSD results were closer to controls. In a 21-d battery brooder test using similar diets and design (2x4 factorial; 4 replicate pens; 10 chicks per pen), SBC and NaCl significantly reduced coccidial lesion scores; SSD produced a significant, but weaker effect. Extra NaCl significantly increased water intake (approximately 37%), water excretion (approximately 27%), and litter moisture (approximately 22%) with both diet types. The SSD did not affect water intake.
Hooge
D M
DM
Hooge Consulting Service, Inc., Eagle Mountain, Utah 84043-3186, USA. danhooge@fiber.net
Cummings
K R
KR
McNaughton
J L
JL
D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens / Q000502:physiology*; D003048:Coccidiosis / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary*; D003049:Coccidiostats / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008461:Meat Products; D017693:Sodium Bicarbonate / Q000494:pharmacology; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology; D013025:Glycine max; D013431:Sulfates / Q000494:pharmacology; D003313:Zea mays
D003049:Coccidiostats; D013431:Sulfates; C012036:sodium sulfate; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D017693:Sodium Bicarbonate