الملخص

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of different disinfectants, including iodine, quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) with glutaraldehyde, and Virkon administered through drinking water, on broiler chickens’ performance traits (body weight, weight gain, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio), bacterial count (E. coli and Lactobacillus), and sensory evaluation. A total of 120 one-day-old Ross 308 broiler chicks were randomly allocated into four groups: a control group and three treatment groups receiving iodine (1 mL/L), QAC (1mL/L), and Virkon (1 g/L) in drinking water over 35-day experimental period. Bacterial counts were determined using standard microbiological culturing methods.  The results demonstrated that disinfectant application significantly affected productive performance, microbial load, and sensory quality. The Virkon group consistently showed the best performance in terms of final body weight, weight gain, feed conversion efficiency, and sensory evaluation parameters compared with the other groups. In contrast, the QAC group showed the poorest growth performance and the highest cumulative FCR values. Both Virkon and QAC treatments were effective in reducing harmful bacteria (E. coli counts) and improving intestinal microbial balance by increasing beneficial bacteria (Lactobacillus counts).Overall, the findings indicate that appropriate use of disinfectants, particularly Virkon, can improve broiler health status, enhance biosecurity, reduce microbial contamination, and improve production efficiency and meat quality without compromising product safety. These results support the application of disinfectants as an effective strategy in poultry production systems.