Water and feed consumption in broiler birds during a typical hot weather condition in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigates the variability in feed and water consumption in broiler birds during a typical hot weather condition in Akure, Nigeria. Feed and water consumption as well as air temperature and relative humidity were monitored and the relationship between them was analyzed. The results showed that the daily water and feeds consumption of the birds are very closely related and increase over the course of the grow out. Water and feed consumption were also observed to be a linear function of broiler's age; the birds were drinking 0.731 times of their age in kg of water and were eating 0.031 times their age of feed at any point in time. The result showed that under the prevailing environmental conditions, birds were consuming no less than 2.3 times more water than feed. The ratio of feed to water consumption is fairly constant over the life of the flocks. For this particular grow out the ratio of kilogram of water to kilogram of feed was 2.32 kg of water per kg of feed consumed. So whether a bird was a week old or seven weeks old, for every kilogram of feed eaten 2.32 kilogram of water was consumed. Ambient temperature was shown to have strongly influence the pattern of feed and water consumption indicated, high temperatures decreasing feed consumption and increasing water consumption.