Gutenborn, Germany (May 27, 2016) – In a recent trial, conducted at a broiler farm in the Thuringia province, Germany. Drinking water acidification with a liquid preservative (acidifier) Sanbio AQUA was tested against a negative control. 10,000 birds were randomly selected and divided equally into 2 groups with 5,000 chicks each. Feed and water were available ad libitum. The effects of the preservative on performance (daily weight gain, feed conversion) and mortality was examined after 42 days. The results are given as mean and a confidence level of 95% was defined for these analyses.
By acting against pathogens, the product helps to decrease pressure on the animal’s immune system, thus more nutrients will be available for productive functions such as growth. Moreover, low pH in the stomach may improve protein digestibility. The admixture of product via the drinking water will ensure both, hygienic water conditions and improved performance parameters in the bird.
This study demonstrates that including water acidification in broiler production has beneficial effects on the performance of the chicken and may be considered as a low-cost option to improve production parameters in general.
1. Introduction
Drinking water acidification with a liquid preservative (acidifier) Sanbio AQUA was tested against a negative control. 10,000 birds were randomly selected and divided equally into 2 groups with 5,000 chicks each. Feed and water were available ad libitum. The effects of the preservative on performance (daily weight gain, feed conversion) and mortality was examined after 42 days. The results are given as mean and a confidence level of 95% was defined for these analyses.
2. Materials and methods
Table 1. Overview of the treatment applied to broiler chickens
| Treatment | Unit | Control | Sanbio AQUA |
| Broiler chickens | % | 5,000 | 5,000 |
| Sex | Male | Male | |
| Breed | Cobb500 | Cobb500 | |
| Rate of Sanbio AQUA | Liter per 1,000 Liters of water | 0 | 1 |
| Time period of trial | 2016-04-15 until 2016-05-27 42 days |
Figure 1. Timetable of trial
The trial was operated as far as possible under the guideline given by VICH (2000). The trial was run without adverse technical events (e.g. power failure, feed/water failures, etc.).
Table 2. Comparison of broiler performance with or without access to acidified drinking water (1 L per 1,000 Liter) from day 19 till day 42
| Treatment | Unit | Control | SANBIO AQUA | Control vs. Sanbio AQUA |
| BW at day 42 | kg | 2.25 | 2.55 | +13.3 % |
| ADG | g/d | 42 | 49 | +16.6 % |
| FCR | 2.60 | 2.36 | +9.3 % | |
| Mortality | % | 1.0 | 0.9 | -10.0 % |
| EBI * | 159.9 | 205.7 | +28.6 % |
* EBI European Broiler Index = Daily weight gain (g) x survival (%) / 10 x Feed conversion
Figure 2. Productive performance
Preservation (acidification) of the drinking water has positive effects on water quality and growth performance in broilers. Formic acid (min. 0.15%) added to drinking water reduced Salmonella counts to undetectable levels within 4 hours (Allen et al., 1997) and Samonella significantly (Byrd et al., 2001).
3. Conclusion
To summarize, the present study showed significantly positive effects of SANBIO AQUA at the dosage of 0.1% of drinking water volume (resp. 1 Liter per 1,000 Liters of water) on productive performance.
The positive effects at a glance:
- No negative health relevant effects
- Safety and tolerance when used dietary additions
- Increase of final body weight and average daily weight gain (+13.3%)
- Improved feed conversion rate (9.3%)
- Reduced mortality (-10%)
- Increase in EBI European Broiler Index (+28.6%)