SODIUM-BICARBONATE SUPPLEMENTATION IN DIETS FOR GUINEA-FOWL RAISED ATHIGH ENVIRONMENTAL TEMPERATURES

An experiment was designed to verify the effect of dietary NaHCO3 supp lementation on performance of guinea fowl raised under high environmen tal temperatures (23.8 to 33.9 C) and average relative humidity of 78. 7%. One hundred and forty guinea fowl in their final period of growth (56 to 84 d of age) were allotted to individual wire cages. Five isoca loric (3,000 kcal ME/kg) 16% CP diets based on corn and soybean meal a nd containing 0, 0.6, 1.2, 1.8, and 2.4% sodium bicarbonate were fed t o the birds. The experiment followed a randomized block design with 28 birds per treatment (14 of each. sex) with each bird being considered as one repetition. Results showed that weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion, mortality, blood pH, carcass yield, and carcass compositi on were not affected (P > 0.05) by dietary sodium bicarbonate suppleme ntation. Weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion, carcass moisture, and fat content, however, were significantly (P < 0.05) affected by se x. Females showed 17.49% better weight gain, 7.16% greater feed intake , and 9.6% better feed conversion than males. These differences were e xacerbated at supplementation levels of 1.2 and 1.8% sodium bicarbonat e in the diet. Male birds showed carcass moisture values significantly (P < 0.05) greater than those of female birds; the opposite occurred with carcass fat levels. The use of sodium bicarbonate in levels up to 2.4% of the diet did not affect the performance of guinea fowl raised under the environmental conditions registered in this study.