Two experiments were carried out to determine the sodium (Na+) and chloride (Cl-) requirements for broilers in the pre-initial phase (1 to 7 days of age) and the best electrolyte balance of the diet. In each experiment 1500 broilers from Cobb strain were allotted to a completely randonmized design with six treatments, five replicates and 50 birds per experimental unit. The treatments used in the two experiments consisted of diets with levels on 0.10, 0.15, 0.20, 0.25, 0.30 and 0.35% of Na+ (Exper. 1) or Cl <FONT FACE=Symbol>¾</FONT> (Experiment 2), each one with different electrolyte balance values. A quadratic and broken line models to determine the nutritional requirements were used. In the Experiment 1, the estimated Na+ requirements was 0.26% for body weight gain, 0.29% feed:gain. No differences were observed for feed intake. The best electrolyte balances of diet for maximum performance was 304 and 319 mEq/kg. In the Experiment 2, the estimated Cl- requirement was .29% for body weight gain and 0.28% for feed:gain ratio. The feed intake showed a linear response. The best electrolyte balance ranged from 250 to 252 mEq/kg.
chloride; electrolyte balance; requirements; sodium
