The effect of different dietary levels of sodium and chloride on performance and blood parameters in goslings (1–28 days of age)

A total of 702 1‐day‐old male Jiangnan White goslings were used to study the effects of varying levels of Na + and Cl − on their growth performance and blood parameters. In this experiment, goslings were randomly allotted to nine treatments, with six pens per treatment in a 3 × 3 factorial arrangement, and fed diets with three concentrations of added Na + (0.10%, 0.15% and 0.20%) and three concentrations of added Cl − (0.15%, 0.20% and 0.25%). The purpose of this experiment was to investigate the sensitivity of goslings to Na + and Cl − during brooding to determine the appropriate levels of Na + and Cl − in their feed. The results are as follows: (a) Different levels of Na + and Cl − in the diet, especially low Na + and Cl − , significantly affected the body weight (BW), average daily gain (ADG) and feed/gain ratio (F/G) of the 28‐day‐old goslings ( p  < .05). But Na +  × Cl − has no significant effect on water consumption ( p  > .05). (b) Serum concentrations of urea increased linearly with Na + content ( p  < .05). Serum concentrations of creatinine (CR) and uric acid (UA) increased linearly with Cl − content ( p  < .05). (c) Na +  × Cl − has a significant impact on the serum sodium (Na) and chlorine (Cl; p  < .05). The content of serum Na and Cl increased linearly with increasing levels of Na + and Cl − . These results show that low levels of Na + and Cl − had significant adverse effects on the growth of 1‐ to 28‐day‐old goslings. The results of the experiment support a recommendation to supplement the diet of goslings with 0.20% Cl − and not <0.15% Na + .