This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of the supplementation of organic acids in the diets and ortho-phosphoric acid in the drinking water on broiler performance. A total of 2,112 broiler chicks was allotted to six treatments, each one with eight replications. The diets, all vegetable, were composed by corn-soybean meal without antibiotic growth promoters or anticoccidials. A control diet did not have organic acids, whereas the other treatments had supplementation of organic acid blends as follow for the feeding phases from 1 to 7, 8 to 21, and 22 to 35 days of age: blend A: lactic acid (52%), formic (1%) and acetic (2%); blend B: lactic acid (76%), formic (2%) and acetic (4%); blend C: lactic acid (50%), formic (8%) and acetic (7%); blend D: formic acid (85%). Blend E contained 40% of lactic acid, 5% of acetic acid and 5% of ortho-phosphoric and was added to drink water. The added doses in diets, for phase, were: 8.0, 4.5, and 2.5 kg/t for blends A, B and C and 2.5, 2.5, and 2.0 kg/t for blend D. Blend E was used in drink water in doses of 3.0, 2.0, and 1.0 kg/1,000 L. A completely randomized design was used. There was a general benefit of the supplementation of the organic acid blend on weight gain of birds. However, no difference was observed for feed conversion at the end of the study. Feed intake was lower for birds fed blend B, whereas water intake was reduced by the blend E added to the drinking water. Relative weight of small intestines sections at 7 days of age was smaller in the birds on the control diet, while at the 21 days of age, was smaller in the birds supplemented with blends A and C. The blend E used in the water determined a reduction in the jejunum length at 7 days of age, while blend B had negative effects on the ileum and small intestine lengths at 21 days of age. In comparison to the control diet, without supplementation of growth promoters antibiotics, the diets supplemented with organic acids were efficient in improving the weight gain of broilers.
all vegetable diets; animal nutrition; organic acids
