<b>Sources and levels of sodium in the diet of laying hens</b> - DOI: 10.4025/actascianimsci.v25i1.2100

Abstract

With the aim to evaluate the sources and levels of sodium on performance and blood constituents of laying hens. 200 hens were used in an experimental design that involved 4 treatments of 5 replications and 10 hens each. The first two treatments involved the addition of 0.37% and 0.67% of NaCl. The third and the fourth treatment consisted in the addition of 0.41% of sodium bicarbonate and 0.34% of sodium sulfate in the diet contained 0.37% of NaCl. In the first treatment the total sodium level was 0.17% and in the remained treatments was 0.28%. It was not observed a statistical difference between treatments for egg mass, egg weight, feed intake and feed conversion (p > 0.05). Specific gravity was improved (p < 0.05) in the higher sodium level, independently of the chlorine content or Na/Cl ration. Dietary sodium levels did not affect phosphorus and calcium plasma. The values from blood pH, HCO₃^- and pCO₂ showed the sensibility of hens for these parameters, so that, the higher values were obtained when the sodium bicarbonate were added in the diet. On the other hand, it was impossible to establish a relation between these values and egg specific gravity.