Effects of Adding Encapsulated Sodium Butyrate and Arginine to Diets of Broiler Chickens Submitted to a Thermal Stress Model

ABSTRACT The experiment aimed to evaluate the effects of including encapsulated sodium butyrate and arginine in broiler diets on growth performance, bone quality, skin resistance and elasticity, and intestinal mucosa morphometry in broilers aged 1 to 35 days, with or without exposure to a thermal stress model. A total of 768 male broilers were distributed in a completely randomized design in a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial arrangement: with or without arginine (113% standardized ileal digestibility (SID) arginine:lysine ratio, and 130% SID arginine:lysine ratio), with or without encapsulated sodium butyrate (0 or 1 kg/ton), and with or without a thermal stress model. The control group and those receiving sodium butyrate and arginine supplementation showed better results from days 28 to 35 for feed conversion, live weight, and weight gain. In terms of morphometry, the challenged birds exhibited greater crypt depth and reduced villus height and width. Arginine supplementation increased bone strength at 35 days of age, and improved feed conversion from days 1 to 35. The combination of encapsulated sodium butyrate and arginine positively affected performance during the final week of the experiment even under challenging conditions, resulting in an increase of approximately 11.79% in weight gain, and a 5.88% reduction in the feed conversion ratio.