 | The Use of sodium bicarbonate in diets to fatten chickens |  |
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  | | | Controlled Study of the Effect of Inclusion of Sodium Bicarbonate (NaHCO3) in the Diet of Chickens with Caloric Stress and those with Comfortable Temperatures (Sodium Bicarbonate in the Nutrition of Chickens to be Fattened).
By: José Salazar.
Summary
The effect of NaHCO3 was studied for 216 Cobb chickens that were 4 weeks old and under caloric stress. 18- 1 m2 metabolic cages were used with a density of 14 birds/m2. 3 treatments were given with 6 repetitions: T1, control of comfortable temperature (30 °C max.) without NaHCO3 in the feed; T2, with caloric stress (45 °C max.) without NaHCO3 and T3 under caloric stress (45 °C max.) with 0.5% of NaHCO3 in the feed. Relative humidity was maintained constant at 55%.
The chickens were given three days to adapt, only administering NaHCO3 in the diet of group T3. Caloric stress was created with infra-red reflectors for 9 hours from 8:00 A.M. to 17:00 P.M., and the test or observation period was one entire day from 8:00 AM to 8:00 AM on the following day. Daily Weight Gain (GDP), Food Consumption (CA), Food Conversion (C/A), extracellular Na Concentration and intracellular K were measured.
In addition, a subjective measurement was done of respiratory rhythm by observing panting every hour for 10 minutes (Phases I, II y III). Once the test concluded, five confirmation trials were performed at commercial farms, comparing the Control group (C) with the group Treated (T) with 0.5% of NaHCO3 in the diet and the response variable was greater production of newly hatched chicks. The results indicate that there is a significant difference between the three treatments and, as expected, the best results were for T1 followed in a descending order by T3 and T2 (weight< .05).
On the other hand, field results confirm the experimental test (weight< .05), and with this we conclude that NaHCO3 can be used as an excellent nutritional additive to control caloric stress in poultry, in an effective and economic manner.
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