The effects of harvested rainwater on the performance of broilers

Chicken meat production and consumption has increased rapidly both in the world and in our country in recent years. When it comes to poultry meat production broilers come first and one of the most important steps in broiler meat production is rearing houses and maintenance. An important contribution in terms of nutrition, animal health and performance in these maintenance parameters is the water to be used in production and delivering it fresh, clean and continuously to the birds. In recent years, problems such as shortages in under-ground waters and the threat of pollution, which have been partially seen in the world and in our country, make the search of alternative water resources as a reserve, where yet not mandatory. This study was organized to examine the effects of the use of rainwater lost from roofs as the water source for broilers on the performance and some of the basic carcass and meat quality parameters. In the research, day old 96 Ross 308 broiler chicks were used. In the experiment, the birds were separated to two treatment groups and the birds given rainwater were distributed to 4 pens and the birds given under-ground water were kept in other 4 pens in the research house. Performance criteria were analyzed from birds with mixed gender, where the carcass and meat quality parameters were analyzed from the data obtained from male broilers. According to the findings obtained from the research, there was no statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of feed consumption, water consumption, live weight, live weight gain and feed conversion ratio. Also, there was no significant difference between the groups in terms of carcass characteristics, edible internal organs and meat pH as well. According to the results of the experiment, it can be stated that rainwater can be used as a substitute for under-ground water and causes no change in terms of performance and carcass characteristics. It is thought that organizing detailed studies including economics and animal health will be positive in terms of academic knowledge and industry soon.