Effects of Different Levels of Acetic Acid Supplementation in Drinking Water on Growth Performance, Gut Microbiota, and Economic Efficiency of Broiler Chickens During the Finishing Period

الملخص

The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of supplementing drinking water with different concentrations of acetic acid (0%, 1%, 2%, and 3% v/v) during the finishing period (21–35 days of age) on growth performance, feed conversion ratio, dressing percentage, gut microbiota, and economic efficiency of broiler chickens. A total of 144 one-day-old broiler chicks were reared under standard management conditions and randomly allocated to four treatment groups receiving 0%, 1%, 2%, or 3% acetic acid in drinking water, with three replicates of 12 birds per treatment. Growth performance parameters, including feed intake, body weight gain, feed conversion ratio (FCR), and dressing percentage, were evaluated. In addition, gut microbial populations were determined by measuring aerobic plate counts (APC) and Salmonella spp. counts.