6. Betaine supplementation of the starter diets or drinking water may help prevent or treat some of the adverse effects
of enteric disorders. Betaine is an important metabolic factor involved in the absorption and utilization of fat; it is
necessary for rapidly growing tissue (especially the absorptive surface of the gut and feathers), and it is involved in
osmoregulation (Garlich, 1995). All of these functions are adversely affected by enteritis. Ferket (1995) reported that
betaine may help control or prevent diarrhea in poultry by modulating osmoregulation. Dietary supplementation of
betaine should be done at a rate of 1 to 2 kg betaine/tonne in starter feed or in feed fed when diarrhea (flushing) occurs
in older birds. Drinking water supplementation of betaine to treat diarrhea should be done at a rate of 500 mg/kg body
weight over a 2- to 3-day period for maximum efficacy.