Estimation of the Sodium and Chloride Requirements for the Young Broiler Chick

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the requirements for Na and Cl in diets fed to male broilers to 21 days. Four test diets were prepared from a common corn-soybean meal basal which represented extremes in levels of Na and Cl, providing 1) low Na-low Cl, 2) low Na-high Cl, 3) high Na-low Cl, and 4) high Na-high Cl. These diets were then used to prepare blends that provided the final experimental feeds. The experiment consisted of a factorial arrangement of six levels of Na (0.10 to 0.35% of the diet) and six levels of Cl (0.10 to 0.35% of the diet). Day-old male chicks of a commercial strain (Ross 308) were grown in battery brooders with six chicks per pen and six pens per treatment. Test diets and tap water (5.3 ppm Na and 0.7 ppm Cl) were provided for ad libitum consumption. Body weight gains (BW), feed intake (FI), feed conversion ratios (FCR), and tibia ash content were determined. No significant interaction of Na and Cl was observed for any parameter. Both Na and Cl levels significantly influenced 21 day BW. FI was significantly influenced by levels of Cl but not by Na; FCR were not significantly influenced by levels of either Na or Cl. Increasing Cl tended to improve bone ash while increasing Na appeared to decrease bone ash.