Why should salt be added to chicken food?

Chlorine and sodium exist in chicken body fluids, soft tissues and eggs, which can maintain the acid-base balance of chicken body, maintain the balance of osmotic pressure between cells and blood, and make chicken body tissue maintain constant water. In addition, it is also the raw material for the formation of gastric juice and gastric acid, which can promote the activity of digestive enzymes and play an important role in the digestion and absorption of fat and protein. Salt can improve the palatability of diet, promote appetite and improve feed utilization rate.

Therefore, salt is both an essential nutrient and a seasoning crystal. If there is not enough salt in the chicken diet, it will cause loss of appetite, digestive disorders, growth retardation and pecking habits of the chicks, the weight and egg weight of the laying hens will be reduced, and the laying rate will decrease. The salt content in the diet of chickens should be 0.37% to 0.5%, and the dosage must be accurate. When matching the diet, the salt content of animal feed should be considered, and then the amount of supplementary salt should be determined. For example, when using salted fish meal in the diet, its salt content must be analyzed first, otherwise salt poisoning is often caused by excessive consumption of salted fish meal.