Of particular importance is the fact that water is one of the most essential nutrients for the maintenance of chicks' function, including digestion, metabolism, temperature regulation, nutrient transfer and waste expulsion, as well as body fluid balance (Leeson and Summers, 2005). Furthermore, chicks can survive under feed withdrawal conditions for several days, but water deprivation for even a short time can considerably affect their hydration level. Dehydration is caused by immoderate water loss, which can negatively affect the chicks' physiological and metabolic status. Although concentrated nutrients are supplied to chicks during hatchery practices or transportation, it is impossible to supply water. In the current trial, aqua agar (AA) was formulated and an experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of AA as a water replacement for posthatch chicks during holding and transportation on residual yolk-sac weight and growth performance of young broilers.