Enhancing key broiler welfare indicators, meat quality, and gut microbiome composition using oxygen-enriched drinking water under commercially relevant housing conditions.

ABSTRACT: Water is a critical nutrient in poultry production, yet its quality, particularly dissolved oxygen (DO) content, is often overlooked. This study is the first to comprehensively evaluate the impact of oxygen-enriched drinking water on broiler welfare, breast muscle myopathies, and gut microbiome composition under commercially relevant housing conditions. A total of 840 male Ross 308 broiler chicks were randomly assigned to two treatment groups (oxygenated water vs. tap water), with 12 replicate pens per treatment. Oxygenated water was enriched to a DO level of approximately 32 mg/L, compared to around 9.5 mg/L in tap water. Birds were reared to 36 days of age. The consistently high performance of both treatment groups under controlled experimental conditions is demonstrated by final body we

SUBMITTER: Khattak F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12281314 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature