The effect of aluminium in drinking water on young and old laying chickens

Abstract

Pullets and hens (56 each), placed on the same experimental diet, were each divided equaJly into 4 groups, They were eachrandomly assigned to 4 different drinking water treatments, viz. bore-hole water, and bore-hole water to which powderedaluminium sulphate was added to give aluminium concentration of 10, 20 or 40 mg/litre. The chicken received these watertreatments for 14 weeks.Water treatments had no signiticant effect (P>0.05) on water consumption, feed intake, egg production, egg weight, bodyweight, feed efficiency or egg shell thickness of pullets and hens, whereas their effect on Haugh units and yolk cholesterolor eggs laid was significant (P<O.05). Aluminium concentration of up to 40mg/litre in drinking water, is considered safe forlaying chicken whose daily water consumption and live weight are 0.197-0.2231 and 1. 72- 1. 90kg respectively. Furthermore,aluminium concentration of 40mg/litre is able to reduce the yolk-cholesterol content in old layers.