To evaluate the effect of acetic acid and sodium bicarbonate supplemented to drinking water on water quality, growth performance, relative organ weights, cecal traits and hematological parameters of broilers, a total of 456 one-day-old Cobb MV × Cobb 500 FF mixed broilers were randomly placed in three experimental treatments, with four replicates per treatment and 38 birds per replicate, for 10 days. The treatments consisted of the use of acetic acid (0.4%; T1) as acidifier, an apparently neutral pH (T2) and sodium bicarbonate (1%; T3) as alkalizer of the drinking water. T3 showed the highest values (p < 0.05) for total dissolved solids, electrical conductivity, salinity and pH. T1 and T2 showed the same productive response (p > 0.05); however, T3 decreased (p < 0.05) body weight, feed intake and the relative weight of the pancreas and immune organs and increased (p < 0.05) water intake, mortality and relative weight of the heart and liver. Likewise, T3 increased (p < 0.05) the cecal pH, although without changes for the cecal lactic cecal bacteria count and blood parameters (p > 0.05). The acid pH of the drinking water had no effect on the biological response of broilers compared to T2; however, the T3 provoked high mortality, ascites, low productivity and abnormal growth of some organs.
Keywords: blood indicator; broiler; cecal characteristic; visceral and immune organ; water pH.