The Effects of Bedding Material Containing Peat Moss on Broiler Production Performance and Fertilizing Value of the Litter (original) (raw)
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Animal, 2021
The provision of suitable bedding for rearing broilers is an ongoing challenge for poultry producers. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of using different types of crop residues as alternative bedding materials to wheat straw on growth performance, carcass traits, health, and welfare of broilers; moreover, the effects on the bedding and air quality were analyzed. We randomly assigned 180 1-day-old chickens (Cobb 500) across six bedding groups (three replicates of 10 birds each). Chickens in all groups were reared under similar housing conditions. Chickens of one group were reared on a wheat straw bedding (control), whereas those of the remaining five groups were reared on clover straw, cornstalk chips (CS), sugarcane top chips, chopped palm spines (CPS), and corn ear husks. Cornstalk chip and chopped palm spines were associated with the lowest (P < 0.05) ammonia concentrations compared with the remaining beddings. The mean values of bedding moisture percentage (P < 0.05), caking score, and ammonia concentrations (P < 0.05) were decreased with 6-week-old broilers reared on cornstalk chips. At 6 weeks, wheat straw, clover straw, sugarcane top chips and corn ear husks resulted in higher (P < 0.0001) BW and average daily gain compared with CS and CPS. Broilers reared on clover straw bedding showed the best FCR during 4-6 weeks of age (P < 0.01), and those kept on clover straw and sugarcane top chips exhibited the best (P < 0.01) feed conversion ratio (1.61 and 1.64, respectively) during 0-6 weeks of age. The carcass dressing yield, airborne dust concentration, bedding pH, and bacterial counts did not differ among the different bedding materials. The proportions of the drumsticks, gizzards, and abdominal fat of 6-week-old broilers were affected by bedding type (P < 0.05); but the differences among the bedding treatments were small. The mean incidence of footpad dermatitis and breast blisters was significantly less using clover straw. Broilers reared on chopped palm spine had the highest (P < 0.05) heterophil/lymphocyte ratio when compared with their counterparts. Conclusively, using clover straw or cornstalks as an alternative bedding material may be a beneficial strategy and should be highly recommended for rearing broilers.
Effect of Different Types of Litter Material on the Performance and Carcass Yield of Broiler Chicken
Research Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2023
The present study, entitled "Effect of different types of litter material on the performance and carcass yield of broiler chicken," was conducted with 120-day-old, straight-run broiler chicks (Cobb-400), which were assigned to four types of litter material, namely; paddy husk (T1), sawdust (T2), wood shavings (T3) and chopped paddy straw (T4) and reared under standard management practices. After the completion of 21 days, each group was replicated five times in a Completely Randomized Design. Statistical analysis revealed a significant effect of litter types on final body weight and feed conversion efficiency. Body weight was found to be significantly (P<0.05) higher in groups T2, T3 and T4 as compared to T1 reared on chopped paddy straw. The best FCE was observed in groups reared on sawdust and wood shavings. Weight gain and feed intake were unaffected by different types of litter. Numerically, the highest live ability (100%) and best performance index, higher carcass yield, and dressing percentage were observed in birds reared on wood shavings. The interaction of litter type and days had a significant effect on pH, moisture per cent and bulk density over time. The least cost of production, higher net profit, and benefit-cost ratio were observed in group T3. Hence, it was concluded that birds reared on wood shavings (T3) performed better in terms of body weight, feed efficiency, live ability, performance index, carcass traits, net profit, and benefit-cost ratio as compared to those reared on other litter materials. Based on the above findings, wood shavings may be considered a viable unconventional litter material for optimum broiler production.
Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences, 2001
The availability of wood by-products for bedding material is falling in many regions due to rising demand for other uses. The objective of this study was to evaluate six alternative litter sources-river bed sand, coconut husk, rice hulls, Guinea grass, newspaper, and corncob-as a substitute for wood shavings (WS). The trial was carried out over 35 days in an open-sided and naturally ventilated broiler house under conditions of high ambient temperatures and relative humidity. During the brooding period (0 to 14 days), chicks raised on grass had lower (P < 0.05) footpad temperature than those grown on WS. After the brooding period (15 to 35 days), the temperatures of both litter and birds were higher (P < 0.05) for coconut husk than for WS. Grass litter resulted in lower (P < 0.05) final BW, FCR, and production efficiency. Sand and rice hulls were associated with lower (P < 0.05) survival rate and higher (P < 0.05) gizzard weight. Litter type did not affect carcass and meat yields. The footpad dermatitis score, associating incidence and severity, was not statistically different among the litter substrates tested, although numerically higher in coconut husk, grass, and corncob. The results obtained in this experiment indicate that, in a hot and humid environment, all materials except grass can be used as a substitute for wood shavings with comparable production efficiency.
Performance and carcass characteristics of broilers raised on three different litter materials
Two experiments were conducted to determine the impact of three litter materials (saw dust, wood shavings and rice husks) on the performance and carcass characteristics of broilers chicks. In the first or second trial, a total of 120 one-day-old or 96 five-week-old broiler chicks were randomly allotted to three groups, each of which included four replicates (10 or 8 chicks per replicate). In both trials, each group was reared on three litter materials, respectively, and received the same starter (the 1st trial) and finisher (the 2nd trial) diet for 35 days. Body weight gain (BWG), feed intake (FI), feed conversion ratio (FCR) and survivability during the experimental period were measured as performance parameters. At the end of the 2nd trial, three birds were randomly selected from each replicate group and slaughtered for carcass evaluation. In the 1st trial, FI of birds reared on rice husks was significantly (P < 0.05) lower feed than those reared on the other litter materials. The decrease of FI on rice husks may be due the scavenged broken rice particles from the litter. BWG, FCR and survivability were not affected by the type of litter material. In the 2nd trial, FCR of the birds on rice husks was significantly (P < 0.05) improved compared with those on the other litter materials. FI, BWG and survivability were not affected by the type of litter materials. Also, the weight of carcass or organ was not affected by the type of litter materials. In conclusion, rice husks proved to be slightly better as litter material for broiler rearing among the available litter materials in Nigeria.
Effects of common litter types and their physicochemical properties on the welfare of broilers
Veterinary World
Background and Aim: In broiler production, the poor quality litter not only may lead to a deterioration of the welfare status but also negatively affect carcass quality, overall health and growth performance, which may result in economic losses. The effects of litter types on the welfare of broilers are known but the effects of their characteristics have been little studied. This study aimed to evaluate correlations between welfare parameters of broilers and physicochemical characteristics of five common litter types. Materials and Methods: Over 42 days, 600 (Cobb 700) male broiler chicks were placed within 30 pens (each 2 m2) at a density of 10 birds/m2. The experiment included five treatments with six replicates per treatment. The following litter (or bedding) materials were examined: Standard quality straw, low-quality straw, wood shavings (WS), sawdust, and crop residues. Footpad condition, hock burns, and plumage cleanliness, as well as litter condition, were scored according t...
Litter Materials in Broiler Breeding and Their Importance
Current Trends in Natural Sciences, 2019
The welfare and health of the animals that are grown are an important issue and they have a direct effect on their performance. In studies conducted with the use of insufficient litter may occur with diseases; effects of materials such as herbal, wood, soil and recycled products on the performance of litter were investigated. The broiler produces 153 grams of fertilizer per kilogram of weight during growing period. The negative effects of the manure produced on the animal health by the litter used is partly important in terms of animal health and performance. Therefore, litter management is an important issue in aquaculture. Used bedding materials are a problem for the environment. For this reason, it is necessary to reuse the used substrates by various operations and to manage this process in a suitable way. Problems with the negative environmental effects of the materials that have completed the process of use as a base are emerging. There are problems with the negative environmen...
EFFECT OF TYPE OF LITTER ON BROILER PERFORMANCE
One hundred and eighty one-day old broilers (Arbor Acres) were used in this study. The chicks were divided into three groups: The chicks were reared on wheat straw litter (group 1); the birds were reared on sand litter (group 2) and Group 3 where the birds were reared on saw dust litter. The chicks were raised on these types of litter from 0 to 49 days of age. The obtained results could be summarized as follows: The birds reared on sand litter had the heaviest body weights as compared with those reared on wheat straw or saw dust. Also, the overall mean for body weight gain (BWG) followed the same trend as body weight (BW). The type of litter had no effect on feed consumption (FC). The cumulative feed conversion ratio (FCR) was significantly (P<0.05) better for birds of groups 1 and 2 as compared with those of group 3. Birds of group 2 had better FCR as compared with those of group 3. The mortality rate (MR) was 16.7, 6.7, and 20.0 % for groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. No significant differences were found in carcass, feet and shanks, head, neck, drumsticks, femurs, breast, wings, and back weight percentages. Moreover, type of litter had no significant effect on fat contents (drumstick, femur and breast), shank length or heart, liver, proventriculus, spleen, lungs, gizzard, intestines, and kidneys weight percentages. Broilers reared on wheat straw or saw dust showed a larger number of foot lesions than those reared on sand litter. Besides, sand litter had lower bacterial counts than saw dust and wheat straw, which showed the greatest bacterial counts. No mold populations were observed at sand or wheat straw litter, however, high mold populations were found in saw dust litter. Red blood cells (RBCs) increased significantly (P<0.05) by 6.93 % in birds reared on sand than that of birds reared on wheat straw or saw dust. Hemoglobin (HG) and heamatocrit (HC) were decreased significantly (P<0.05) in birds of group 3 as compared to those of groups 1 and 2. It was proved that group 2 (reared on sand litter) had the best economic efficiency (EE) value as compared with groups 1 and 3 (reared on wheat straw or sawdust, respectively).
Revista Facultad Nacional de AgronomÃa, 2015
The aim of this study was to evaluate two types of poultry bedding litter (wood shavings and coffee husks) with increasing use cycles, the best time to proceed with composting based on the carbon/nitrogen ratio and the ability to generate ammonia. The results obtained with the present experiment conditions indicated that the litter with wood shavings in the first cycle and the litter with coffee husks in the first and second cycles presented the best behavior in terms of the C/N ratio needed for later use as compost. In regards to the contamination potential, it was found that increasing the number of reutilizations for both the wood-shaving and coffee-husk litters resulted in a greater ammonia emission.