hygienic effect of iodophor on air and water qualities with their reflection on broiler performance

ABSTRACT

Four hundred apparently healthy white [Arbor Acres] one-day-old chicks were housed under appropriate hygienic conditions on deep litter system. At the one week age, the birds were divided into 4 groups [control, [G-A], [G-B], [G-C]] each of 100 birds. Starting from this age [one week old] until the age of [42 days], group [A] received drinking water containing 25-ppm active iodine, group [B] received the same sanitizing drinking water [25-ppm active iodine] beside aerosolized 10-ppm active iodine [50 ml. of 10-ppm iodine / 10 m 2 space area] and this aerosolization of iodine was done twice/week. Group [C] was only aerosolized -with 10-ppm active iodine with the same previous amount. The control group received fresh water without additional improvement with the iodine and was away from the iodine aerosolization. After using the iodine as a saniitizer for water and air, the mean values of total bacterial and coliform counts in water and also the mean value of total bacterial count in air showed highly significant difference [P<0.001] in comparison with control group. All broilers' groups, including control one, showed good performance [over 150] according to the modified European Performance Factor "MEPF". Also, the average final body weight and the feed utilization efficiency were nearly equal in all groups. However, group-B in which both air and water were sanitized with iodine, revealed numerical superiority with respect to final body weight [20 grams more than the control group], average FUE [1.93] and the MEPF [203.6] than the other groups. It could be recommended to use iodine as an air sanitizer [at 10-ppm concentration], at the same time with its use as a water sanitizer [with 25-ppm concentration], in addition of improvement of broilers' performance