Effect of Alternation Methods of Drinking Saline Well Water with Tap Water on Productive Performance, Hematological Parameters and Histopathology of Broilers

This study aimed to determine the effects of alternation methods (AM) of drinking saline well water (SWW) with tap water (TW) on productive performance, hematological parameters and histopathology of broilers. A total number of 180 broiler chicks were randomly divided into six equal groups, the first group (control group), chicks drank TW from one-day old to the end of the experiment (36 days of age), treatment 1 (Tr1), chicks drank SWW from one-day old to the end of the experiment (EOE), Tr2, chicks drank SWW every other day alternatively with TW from one-day old to EOE, Tr3, chicks drank SWW every other week alternatively with TW from one-day old to EOE, Tr4, chicks drank TW during the first 18 days of age and drank SWW from 19-36 days of age, Tr5, chicks drank SWW during the first 18 days of age and drank TW from 19-36 days of age. Body weight, feed conversion, mortality rate, red blood cells, hemoglobin and mean corpuscular volume were significantly enhanced in AM treatments when compared with Tr1, while, there were insignificant differences between AM and control group in these traits. Histopathological scoring decreased in Tr3 and Tr5 when compared with Tr1. In conclusion, drinking SWW for broilers caused some negative effects on productive performance, hematological parameters and histopathology, therefore, it is preferable to alternately drink SWW with TW every other week, or drink SWW during the first 18 days of age, followed by TW, to enhance these negative effects.