The food intake and growth rate of broilers kept at high temperatures can be improved by supplementing the diet or the drinking water with sodium bicarbonate. The response appears to be due to the bicarbonate ion and is associated with an increase in water consumption. Measurements of dietary or retained values for cation–anion balance or dietary electrolyte balance were unsatisfactory for predicting the growth and/or feed conversion responses of broilers at high temperatures. Improvements in body weight do not appear to be associated with increased body water retention.
