SOME EFFECTS OF ORGANIC ACIDS ON THE CONTROL OF SALMONELLA IN BROILER CHICKENS

Abstract

Three hundred and sixty day-old chicks were used in this study to investigate the effects of organic acids on the control of Salmonella. The chicks were divided into uninoculated and inoculated groups, 180 in each. Both groups were subdivided into 3 further groups of 60 chicks each. The uninoculated, control group comprised of, group 1 : given diluted organic acids 1:1000 via the drinking water, group 2 : given organic acids diluted at
1:2000 and group 3 : given water alone. Each bird in the three inoculated subgroups 4, 5 and 6 were orally dosed with 0.3 ml of brain heart infusion broth culture containing 6x108 cfu/ml of Salmonella Enteritidis. Group 4 was treated with organic acids at 1:1000 dilution, group 5 : with 1:2000 dilution and group 6 given no treatment. Salmonella was cultured from pooled organs, liver, spleen and heart samples, as well as from cloacal swabs in all six subgroups when 10, 20, 30 and 40 days old, respectively. Ten chickens were randomly selected from each subgroup and weighed individually at each stage. The detection rates for Salmonella, which could be considered as a natural infection, among the uninoculated control subqroups (1, 2 and 3) showed no difference at 40 days of age,
as were the excreation rates determined by positive cloacal swabs (p>0.05). In the inoculated groups, there were no significant differences among groups 4, 5 and 6 for Salmonella detection rates at 10, 20 and 30 days of age. The results showed differences only between groups 4 and 6 at 40 days, the same as the exclusion rates (p<0.05). Our
study suggested that Salmonella detection in the inoculated group, treated with 1:1000 organic acids dilution, was reduced compared with the no treatment group (5% against 35%). In the same way, the excreation rate was lower than in the no treatment group (40% compared to 90%). The feed conversion rate of chickens aged 31-40 days, provided with organic acids in both the uninoculated and the inoculated groups were lower than in the no treatment groups. And the daily weight gains of those treated were greater than those with no treatment.