Evaluation of sodium bicarbonate, chloride, or sulfate with a coccidiostatin 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 yens; 88 chicks per pen) using built-up litter, experimental diets contained monensin plus 0.20% dietary sodium bi carbonate (SBC), which provided 0.054% sodium and 0.144% bicarbonate. Treat ment with SEC significantly improved coccidial lesion score, 45-d body weig ht, 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 SEC with monensin significantly impr oved body weight, uniformity, and feed efficiency; 0.20% SEC with halifugin one, lasalocid, monensin, or salinomycin significantly reduced mortality; a nd 0.20% SEC with lasalocid, monensin, or salinomycin significantly increas ed breast meat yield. In a 2 x 4 factorial trial (12 replicate pens; 88 chicks per pen) on built- up litter, corn-soy and corn-soy-meat diets (higher potassium, lower chlori de) with monensin were evaluated using 0.054% sodium from SEC, NaCl, or sod ium sulfate decahydrate (SSD). With both diet types, SEC (0.20%) or NaCl (0 .139% extra) significantly improved weight uniformity, feed efficiency, mor tality, and breast meat yield; however, the SSD results were closer to cont rols. In a 21-d battery brooder test using similar diets and design (2 x 4 factorial; 4 replicate pens; 10 chicks per pen), SEC and NaCl significantly reduced coccidial lesion scores; SSD produced a significant, but weaker ef fect. Extra NaCl significantly increased water intake (similar to 37%), wat er excretion (similar to 27%), and litter moisture (similar to 22%) with bo th diet types. The SSD did not affect water intake.