| A series of experiments were performed to determine the effect of dietary factors on water intake. Results indicate that as the level of either sodium or potassium increased, water intake of broilers increased proportionally. Dietary chloride levels above 0.15% had no effect on water intake. Lasalocid stimulated water intake and monensin decreased it significantly (p < 0.05) throughout the experiments. No significant sodium x drug interaction was found. However, there was a significant potassium x chloride x drug interaction. Lasalocid did not increase water intake when it was supplemented in the diet containing a combination of 0.7% potassium and 0.15% chloride, but it caused an increase in water intake when the level of either electrolyte was altered in the diet. The effect of monensin, on the other hand, was not influenced by any combination of the electrolytes.;The factor in soybean meal behaved the same as factors in the other ingredients such as rye, barley and guar gum for increasing water intake. Addition of Irgazyme 100, CE100,000 or procaine penicillin to the 35% soybean meal diet did not reduce water intake. This indicates that the factor in soybean meal is not acted on by those enzymes.;Soybean meal was water-fractionated and the fractions were fed to chicks to determine their effect on water intake. Neither the water-soluble fraction nor water-insoluble fraction of soybean meal increased water intake when they were separately added to the diet at their original level. When both fractions were fed together, they stimulated water intake.;It was apparent that as animal products such as fish meal and meat and bone meal increased in the diet, water intake was proportionally decreased. It was found that the animal products did not contain a factor that decreases water intake but soybean meal contained a factor that increases water intake. It appears, though, that the factor in soybean meal is neither protein nor a higher level of potassium. Results of analysis of variance show that there was no significant (p < 0.05) diet x drug interaction. |
