The effects of sodium bisulphate (SB) supplementation on growth, intestinal integrity, blood gas chemistry and litter microbiology of broiler chickens were evaluated and reported by C.A. Ruiz-Feria of Texas A & M University and co-authors there and at North Carolina State University and Jones-Hamilton Inc. in a recent issue of International Journal of Poultry Science.

Their hypothesis was that the supplementation of SB in poultry diets will change the acidity of the intestinal tract, reducing the proliferation and shedding of Salmonella and will improve the productive performance of broiler chickens by reducing the effects of heat stress.

Birds were fed a corn-soybean meal diet meeting all of the NRC (1994) requirements. In Experiment 1, birds were fed diets supplemented with 0 (control diet, CTL), 0.25, 0.5, or 0.75 per cent (w/w) of feed-grade SB (SB25, SB50 and SB75, respectively); in Experiments 2 and 3, only the CTL, SB25 and SB75 diets were evaluated. In Experiment 4, the chicks (n=920) were placed in 20 pens and fed the CTL diet, or the SB25 diet offered during the first 21, 35, or 49 days (21D, 35D and 49D, respectively); the CTL diet was offered until the end of experiment (day 49) for treatments 21D and 35D. The data was analysed as a two-way ANOVA (diet and gender as main effects).

In Experiment 1, birds fed diets with SB had lower feed conversion than birds fed the CTL diet but bodyweight was not different among treatments.

In Experiment 2, females fed the SB25 diet were heavier (p<0.05) on day 21 than females fed the CTL or the SB75 diet; the feed conversion was similar among groups.

In Experiment 3, chickens fed the SB25 or SB75 diets were consistently heavier and had a lower feed conversion (p<0.05) than birds fed the CTL diet.

In Experiment 4, birds fed the SB25 diet had lower bodyweight than birds fed the CTL diet. However, birds in the 35D or 49D treatments had a better feed conversion than birds fed the CTL diet.

The litter of birds fed the SB25 diet had lower levels of Salmonella at weeks 4 and 6 in Experiment 3 and at week 4 in Experiment 4.

Neither the duodenum villus height nor the blood gas composition was affected by the dietary treatments.

Ruiz-Feria and co-authors concluded from their results that SB supplementation improves productive performance and reduces the environmental levels of Salmonella, with variable efficacy, perhaps due to seasonal conditions. They explained that Experiments 2 and 4 were conducted during the thermoneutral period of late winter and early spring in central Texas, while Experiment 1 was conducted during more severe heat stress while Experiment 3 took place during moderately hot conditions in the early autumn/fall.

Reference

Ruiz-Feria C.A., E. Larrison, M. Davis, M. Farnell, J. Carey, J.L. Grimes and J. Pitts. 2011. Supplementation of feed grade sodium bisulfate in broiler diets improves feed efficiency. International Journal of Poultry Science 10 (9): 670-676.

Further Reading

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December 2011