Effect of Organic Acid Supplementation through Drinking Water on Performance of Broiler Chickens

Abstract

The primary objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of organic acid supplementation through drinking water on the growth performance of broiler chickens. A total of 120 day-old commercial broiler chicks were randomly assigned to four treatment groups, each consisting of three replicates of ten birds, and reared for a period of 28 days. The treatments included T1 (control, tap water), T2 (tap water supplemented with 0.2% citric acid), T3 (tap water supplemented with 0.2% acetic acid), and T4 (tap water supplemented with a combination of 0.1% citric acid and 0.1% acetic acid). Growth performance parameters such as body weight, body weight gain, average daily gain, feed intake, feed conversion ratio (FCR), and performance index were recorded and analyzed. Organic acid supplementation significantly improved (P < 0.05) growth performance of broiler chickens compared to the control group. The highest final body weight was recorded in the citric acid group (T2; 1428.48 g), followed by the combination group (T4; 1374.24 g) and acetic acid group (T3; 1343.17 g), while the lowest was observed in the control (T1; 1258.61 g). Similarly, body weight gain was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in organic acid-treated groups, with T2 (1387.21 g) showing superior performance compared to T1 (1217.63 g). Feed conversion ratio was significantly improved (P < 0.05), with the lowest value observed in T2 (1.66) compared to the highest in control (1.93). Although performance index was numerically higher in T2 (209.57), differences among organic acid treatments were statistically comparable in some cases. The findings indicate that supplementation of organic acids through drinking water positively influences growth performance and feed efficiency in broiler chickens, with citric acid showing the most pronounced beneficial effects.