Evaluation of different drinking water sources in Sokoto North-West Nigeria on performance, carcass traits and haematology of broiler chickens

Aim: The study examined the effect of different drinking water sources on performance, carcass characteristics and haematology of broiler chickens. Materials and Methods: 63 unsexed day-old broiler chicks were randomly grouped into three treatment groups (Treatments 1, 2 and 3), each consisting of three replicates of seven chicks each. Treatments 1, 2 and 3 were given water from various sources: pipe borne water; borehole water and well water, respectively from day-old to seven weeks of age. The water samples were subjected to physico-chemical and bacteriological analyses. Results: Physico-chemically, only well water had a fair taste, it also had highest turbidity; while borehole water was least turbid. Borehole water had highest total hardness, nitrate, sodium, and calcium. Chloride was higher in borehole water and magnesium was higher in well water; while these were absent in pipe borne water. The study revealed that all water sources were contaminated with bacteria. The well water had the highest bacterial load of 1.2 x [10.sup.3] cfu/ml, followed by borehole water with 5.8 x [10.sup.2] cfu/ml, while pipe borne water recorded least bacterial counts (1.6 x [10.sup.2] cfu/ml). Escherichia coli, Klesiella spp and Proteus vulgaris were isolated from pipe borne, borehole and well water, respectively. The water treatments had no significant (p > 0.05) effect on broiler chicken's performance, carcass characteristics and haematological indices. However, numerical increase in feed intake and weight gain was observed in birds placed on borehole water (Treatment2). Conclusion: This study suggest that different water sources used as drinking water in this experiment have no significant effect on performance, carcass characteristics and haematology of broiler chicken production in Sokoto metropolis. However, drinking water quality standard for poultry should not be jeopardized. Keywords: bacteriological analysis, broilers, carcass characteristics, haematology, performance, water