Effects of Dietary Guanidinoacetic Acid Supplementation on Performance, Blood Parameters and Meat Quality of Male Broilers with Cold‐Induced Ascites

The effects of dietary supplemental guanidinoacetic acid (GAA) on performance, biochemical indices and meat pH of broilers with cold-induced ascites were studied. A total of 640 day-old male broiler chicks (Cobb 500) were assigned to four dietary treatments including control diet; control diet supplemented with either 0.6, 1.2 or 1.8 g of GAA per kg of feed. Each treatment was replicated in 8 battery cages (n=20). At day 14, temperature was reduced to amplify the incidence of ascites. The birds fed the control, 1.2 and 1.8 g/kg GAA diets exhibited higher average daily gain (ADG) compared to those fed 0.6 g/kg GAA (P<0.05). Bird fed diet with 1.2 g/kg GAA also showed poorer feed conversion ratio (FCR) compared to birds in other dietary groups (P<0.05). Higher average daily feed intake (ADFI) were observed in birds fed the diet with 1.2 g/kg GAA (P<0.05). The mortality due to ascites was significantly lower in birds fed diet with 1.2 g/kg GAA compared to birds fed the control, 0.6 and 1.8 g/kg GAA diets. Moreover, there was a quadratic effect of GAA levels on mortality due to ascites. No significant effects of dietary treatments on leucocyte subsets and relative weights of lymphoid organs were observed. Lower meat pH was detected in chicks fed the GAA-supplemented diets compared to birds fed the control diet. Dietary GAA supplementation resulted in a linear (P=0.01) and quadratic (P=0.03) responses in meat pH. In conclusion, diet supplementation with GAA had reducing effects on the occurrence of ascites-related mortality in broiler chicks.