EFFECT OF WETTING FEED WITH WATER ON RELATIVE GROWTH AND BACTERIA COUNT IN JEJUNUM AND CECUM FOR SOME TYPES OF BACTERIA AND LITTER RELATIVE HUMIDITY ON BROILER

Abstract

The present study was carried out at Poultry Farm, Department of Animal Resources, Agriculture College-University of Baghdad, during the period Sept. 12th 2012 until Oct. 24th 2012( 42 days). A total of 240 one day old unsexed broiler chicks Ross-308 strain were randomly divided into four equal treatment groups according to added water at rates 0.25, 0.50 and 0.75 L/kg feed for Tc, T1, T2 and T3 respectively, each groups consisted three replicates (20 chicks per replicate). The chicks were fed starter diet within first three weeks, after that fed on grower diet until 42 days of age. The results showed that wet feeding treatments showed significant improvement (P<0.01) in average growth rate as compared with (Tc) control group during the second week, and showed that wetting diet with water lead to improve (P< 0.05) in Log. numbers of Lactobacillus bacteria in jejunum and cecum, the Log. numbers of Coliform bacteria significantly (P<0.01) decreased in T3 treatment as compared Tc treatment in cecum and jejunum. Wetting feed didn’t affect litter relative humidity. We concluded from this study the effect of wetting feed with water lead to improve in relative growth, significant increasing on log. numbers for Lactobacillus bacteria and significant decreasing on log. numbers for Coliform bacteria in jejunum and cecum and there was no significant effect on litter relative humidity for broiler.