Economics of feeding drinking water containing organic acids to broiler chickens
Abstract
A feeding trial was conducted to determine the economic effect of acidifying drinking water of broiler chickens with organic acids. The organic acids were acetic, butyric, citric and formic acids, each offered at 0.25%. The control did not contain any of the acids. One hundred and fifty (150) day old AborAcre - plus chicks were used. There were five treatments. Each treatment was replicated three times with 10 birds per replicate, arranged in completely randomized design (CRD). Feed and water were offered ad libitum. At the starter phase cost/weight gain was significantly (P<0.05) higher in control than in acetic, citric and formic acids, while cost/bird and cost/kg live weight were higher (P<0.05) in all the organic acid groups. At the finisher phase feed cost/weight gain was significantly (P<0.05) higher in control than in all the organic acid groups while cost/bird was higher in all the organic acid groups. Both revenue and gross margin were significantly improved by all the organic acids except butyric acid whose values were statistically (P>0.05) the same with the control. Cost differential and cost benefit showed that inclusion of acetic, citric or formic acid in the drinking water resulted to improvement in feed cost/weight gain.
Keywords: Acidifying, broiler chickens, drinking water and organic acids
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