Biochemical Evaluation of Poultry Drinking Water Quality and its Implications for Flock Health at Commercial Farms in Ogun State, South West Nigeria

Drinking water quality is a frequently overlooked determinant of poultry health and production performance in Nigerian commercial operations, with contaminated water contributing to biochemical disruption in birds. This study evaluated drinking water physicochemical properties and their correlation with selected serum biochemical markers in commercial broiler flocks at farms in Ogun State, South West Nigeria. Sixty broiler flocks of three thousand birds each across ten farms were enrolled. Water samples were collected from storage tanks, drinkers, and source points for analysis of pH, total dissolved solids, nitrate, chloride, heavy metal content, and total bacterial count. Concurrently, blood samples from twenty birds per flock were assayed for serum creatinine, hepatic enzymes, antioxidant indices, and immune cell counts. Farms with elevated water nitrate concentrations had birds with significantly higher methaemoglobin levels and reduced superoxide dismutase activities. Heavy metal contamination above safe thresholds was detected at three farms with shallow borehole water sources, and birds at these farms exhibited elevated hepatic enzyme activities. A significant negative correlation was established between water total dissolved solids and feed conversion ratio. These findings highlight drinking water quality as a priority farm biosecurity variable and recommend regular physicochemical water testing as a professional herd health management practice in South West Nigerian poultry enterprises. Keywords: water quality, poultry health, nitrate toxicity, hepatic enzymes, Ogun State.