Evaluation of Drinking Water Antimicrobial Interventions on Water Usage, Feed Consumption, and Salmonella Retention in Broilers Following Feed and Water Withdrawal

SUMMARY A series of experiments were conducted to measure the effects of adding antimicrobials for 2 d: cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC), hydrogen peroxide (HP), and/or sodium bisulfate (SB) to water drinker lines of market-age broilers on water usage, feed consumption, and inoculated Salmonella retention during feed and water withdrawal. The following experiments were evaluated: Salmonella retention with CPC (Experiment 1), water and feed consumption with CPC (Experiment 2) or with CPC and HP (Experiment 3), Salmonella retention with HP (Experiment 4) or with HP and SB (Experiment 5). For Experiment 1, water usage in the CPC treatment pens was only 14% of control pens and had no impact on Salmonella retention. For Experiments 2 and 3, the water usage by broilers was depressed 40 to 97% compared to controls. For Experiment 4, the number of Salmonella-positive enriched crop samples was significantly lower for 50 ppm HP+ citric acid (CA) pens (17%) compared to control (100%). For Experiment 5, water antimicrobial treatments did not differ significantly in Salmonella recovery from the control for both enriched crops (65%) or ceca (82%). Neither CPC nor SB was determined to be effective intervention against Salmonella when added to drinking water during feed/water withdrawal. In Experiment 4, 50 ppm HP+CA was an effective Salmonella intervention in crops while broilers remain on water during feed withdrawal.