The Effect of Water Sodium on the Chick Requirement for Dietary Sodium

Two strains of broiler chicks fed a basal wheat-soybean diet designed to be complete in all known nutrients failed to achieve optimal growth at 3 weeks of age. Increments of dietary sodium resulted in increased growth responses and improved feed efficiencies (P less than .05) which were not related to genotype. The sodium requirements for optimum weight gain was found to be greater than the NRC (1971) requirement when the water sodium level was 3 ppm. The addition of 50 ppm of sodium to the drinking water improved growth and feed efficiency (P less than .05) of birds fed the basal diet. When 100 ppm of sodium was added to the drinking water, a further increase in growth was obtained equivalent to that of birds receiving the basal diet to which increments of sodium were added up to .15%. Sodium in the drinking water was shown to be utilized more effectively than was sodium in the feed.