Adding 0.1% to 0.5% sodium bicarbonate in broiler feed has obvious effects on improving carcass grade and weight gain. British researchers reported that using sodium bicarbonate instead of sodium chloride as a source of sodium in broiler feeds reduced water consumption and improved litter conditions. When the dietary sodium content was 0.12% to 0.28%, the body weight of 4-week-old broiler chickens was 889g in the sodium bicarbonate diet group and 861g in the sodium chloride diet group. The difference was significant after analysis of variance. Adding sodium bicarbonate to broiler feed can also reduce mortality and the incidence of certain diseases.
Owen (1994) and other studies have shown that adding sodium bicarbonate to the corn-soybean meal practical diet to alkalize the diet greatly reduces the incidence of ascites. In high-altitude environments (simulating a low-pressure room at an altitude of 3000 m), 42% of broilers fed the basic diet died of ascites, while only 24% of broilers died of 1% sodium bicarbonate added to the basic diet. Ascites, the mortality rate is significantly reduced.
According to Phelps (1989) research, adding 10g of sodium bicarbonate per 1kg of broiler feed with 90g of fish meal significantly reduced the incidence of chicken stomach erosion. A study by the Yamanashi Prefectural Animal Farm (1990) in Japan showed that when the shed temperature reached 28 ° C or higher, 0.63% sodium bicarbonate was added to 42-63-day-old diets for broilers, and the mortality rate was 4.88%. The mortality rate is 7.85%, considering the maintenance of the acid-base balance of the chicken body, the addition of sodium bicarbonate can reduce the death caused by heat radiation.
