Effect of Different Types of Betaine (Hydrochloride, Anhydrous, Betafine S4) Supplemented with Drinking Water on The Productive Traits of Broilers (Ross 308) Under Heat Stress Conditions

Abstract

The experiment was conducted in the poultry field of the Department of Animal Production –College of Agriculture – University of Kufa for the period
4/9/2025 until 9/10/2025. The study aimed to determine the effect of different types of Betaine (Hydrochloride, Anhydrous, Betafine S4) supplemented with
drinking water on some productive traits of broiler chickens exposed to heat stress. 240 one-day-old Ross 308 unsexed broiler chicks with an average weight of
45g/chick were used. The chicks at one day old were randomly allocated into 4 treatments with 3 replicates per treatment, each replicate containing 20 chicks. The
treatments were: T1, a standard diet without any addition (Control). Treatments T3, T2, and T4 were fed a standard diet, and betaine (Betafine S4, Anhydrous,
Hydrochloride) was added to the drinking water at a rate of 1 g betaine/liter of drinking water, respectively. The chicks were fed a starter diet for 1-10 days, a
grower diet for 11-24 days, and a finisher diet for 25-35 days. A completely randomized design was used to analyze the data, and significant differences between
treatments were tested at significance levels of (P≤0.05) and (P≤0.01). The most important results were the following:
 Significant increase in final body weights at 5 weeks of age and weight gain for all treatments, T4, T3, and T2, compared to the control treatment T1, and the
superiority of the treatment T2 over treatments T3 and T4.
 A significant increase in total feed intake was observed in all treatments compared to the control treatment T1. No significant differences in total feed
conversion were observed between all experimental treatments.
 A significant increase in the treatments T3 and T2 with respect to the production index and the economic indicator compared to the control treatment T1 and
treatment T4.
 A significant increase in breast meat weight was observed in treatments T2, T3, and T4 compared to the control treatment T1. No significant differences were
observed in dressing percentage or relative thigh weight for any of the treatments.