Poultry encyclopedia · NEXTEKCI School · Feed raw materials
Salt
Salt supplies sodium and chloride, which are essential in small amounts for appetite, growth and the body’s water balance. Too little, and birds eat less and may start pecking; too much, and they drink too much, the litter gets wet, and chicks can be poisoned.
Key facts
- Supplies
- Sodium and chloride
- Amount
- A very small share of the feed
- If too little
- Less appetite, slow growth, pecking
- If too much
- Thirst, watery droppings, wet litter
- Also to be counted
- Salt from fish meal and from the water
What it is
Table salt (sodium chloride) is the simplest mineral in the feed. It provides two elements: sodium and chloride. It goes into the formula in a very small amount, but it must never be missing.
The salt used must be fine, clean and dry. Coarse salt in blocks or crystals mixes poorly.
Its role in the ration
Sodium and chloride regulate the body’s water balance and play a part in digestion and in how nerves and muscles work. They also give the feed flavour and support appetite.
The nutritionist calculates salt taking into account everything that already supplies it: fish meal, some other raw materials, and sometimes the drinking water itself, which can be rich in sodium. In the hot season, some formulas replace part of the salt with another source of sodium: that is the nutritionist’s decision.
Too little or too much
A feed that is too low in salt makes birds eat less: growth slows, laying drops, and the birds become nervous and may start pecking at feathers, then skin. Lack of salt is one of the causes of pecking that gets checked.
A feed that is too salty makes birds drink a lot: the droppings become watery, the litter gets wet and smells of ammonia, and the feet are damaged. In young chicks, a large excess can cause fatal poisoning. A sudden rise in water intake without a rise in temperature should make you think, among other things, of an over-salted feed.
Quality, storage and mixing
Salt is easy to find in Côte d’Ivoire. It is kept in a closed container, in a dry place: when damp, it forms blocks and mixes poorly.
Because it goes in in very small amounts, it must be weighed accurately and spread evenly through the whole feed. Badly mixed salt means some birds get far too much and others none at all.
Common mistakes
Salting "by eye", by the handful, when making feed; or adding salt to a complete feed that already contains it. Using salty fish meal without reducing the added salt.
Putting salt in the drinking water on your own initiative. Faced with watery droppings, pecking or abnormal thirst, look for the cause with the vet: salt is only one possible lead.