Alleviating Adverse Effects of Heat Stress by Using Potassium Chloride or/and Sodium Bicarbonate for Broiler Chicks.

The experimental feeding trial of this research was carried out to estimate the effects of dietary supplementation with potassium chloride (KCI), Sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3); singly or in combination, on the performance and consequent physiological responses of broiler chicks reared under naturally occurring summer heat stress. Five hundred forty unsexed one-day-old broiler chikens were allocated to 12 experimental group, each with 3 replicates. All chicks were placed in a naturally ventilated rearing room. Diets of chicks supplemented with KCl or NaHCo3 singly or in combination. Treatment 1 survived as a control, KCl at levels of 0.3, 0.6 and 0.9% of diets for chicks of T2, T3 and T4, NaHCo3 at levels of 0.25 and 0.5% of diets for chicks of T5 and T6 respectively. Diets for chicks of T7, T8, T9, T10, T11 and T12 contain a mixture KCl and NaHCO3. Broiler growth performance and selected blood parameters were expected. It was experiential that broiler chickens feeding a diet a containing combination between 0.6% potassium chloride and 0.5% sodium bicarbonate had significantly higher body weight and body weight gain with the best value of feed efficiency, more viability than other treatments and weights of carcass and percentages of liver, heart, gizzard, thighs and breast.