Water quality and its multidimensional impact on broiler chicken production: growth performance, health, immunity, and carcass characteristics — A comprehensive review
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Authors
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Utkarsh Kumar Tripathi
Assistant Professor
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Anuradha Kumari
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Manish Kumar
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Vipin Maurya
Keywords:
Alkalinity, Broiler chickens, Carcass characteristics, Feed conversion ratio, Growth performance, Gut health, Immune function, pH, Poultry production, Salinity, Total dissolved solids, Water qualityAbstract
Water is one of the most physiologically critical yet often undervalued nutrients in commercial broiler production, influencing digestion, metabolism, immunity, and overall performance. This review synthesizes evidence on the impact of key water quality parameters—pH, alkalinity, salinity, total dissolved solids (TDS), hardness, mineral composition, and microbiological contamination—on broiler growth, feed efficiency, gut health, immune status, carcass traits, and mortality. Elevated alkalinity, primarily due to bicarbonate, carbonate, and hydroxide ions, disrupts gastric acidification, reducing pepsin activity and impairing protein digestion while promoting pathogenic microbial proliferation. Similarly, high TDS levels (>3,000 mg/L) and excessive salinity are associated with reduced body weight gain, poor feed conversion ratio, osmotic diarrhoea, and increased mortality. In contrast, mildly acidified water (pH 5.5–6.5) enhances enzymatic efficiency, improves calcium and phosphorus utilization, and supports a favorable gut microbiota by promoting beneficial bacteria such as Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes while suppressing pathogens like Salmonella and Escherichia coli, thereby improving immune responses. Poor water quality also negatively affects carcass yield, dressing percentage, and breast muscle development through osmotic stress, inefficient nutrient utilization, and increased protein catabolism. Overall, the findings highlight that systematic, source-specific water quality monitoring and evidence-based interventions—including acidification, mineral management, and microbiological treatment—are essential components of precision poultry nutrition to optimize gut health, disease resistance, carcass quality, and economic sustainability.
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