Management of litter for Broiler
Litter
The floors of the broiler houses are made up of concrete or compacted soil. Before placing chicks in house, the floor is covered with a bedding material called litter.
Use of litter
• Best to remove all litter after flock
• Sometime not possible due to
o High costo Low availability
• In case of reuse, remove wet and caked part.
Use of litter
• At least 3 to 4 inch (8 to 10 cm) of fresh litter is needed.
• In case of reuse, 1 to 2 inch (3 to 5 cm) of fresh litter should spread on top of old litter.
• In case of disease, completely remove old litter
Functions of litter
• Absorbs moisture
• Promotes drying
• Increase the surface area
• Dilutes fecal material
Functions of litter
• Reduce contact between birds and manure
• Provide insulation
• Absorb water
Characteristics of litter material• Absorbent• Light weight • Inexpensive • Non toxic• Compressable
Types of litter
• Softwood shaving and sawdust
• Hardwood shaving and saw dust
• Softwood or hardwood chips
• Rice hulls
Types of litter
• Peanut hulls
• Sugarcane pomace
• Crushed corn cobs
• Chopped straw
Types of litter
• Processed paper
• Sand
Softwood shaving and sawdust
• Most preffered litter material
• Often limited in supply
• Expensive in some areas
Hardwood shaving and saw dust
• Sometime high in moisture
• Susceptible to dangerous mold growth if stored improperly
Softwood or hardwood chips
• Used successfully
• May cause increased incidence of breast blisters if wet
Rice hulls
• Inexpensive litter material• Available at competitive price• Young chicks may be prone to litter eating
Peanut hulls
• Inexpensive litter material in peanut producing areas
• Tends to cake and crust
• Problems with the pesticides and mycotoxins
Sugarcane pomace
• Prone to caking first few weeks
• Can be used effictively
Crushed corn cobs
• Limited availability
• Associated with increased breast blister problem
Chopped straw
• Effective litter material
• Some tendency toward caking
• Susceptible to mold growth
Processed paper
• Proven as good litter material
• More available and less costly in recycling
• Slight tendency to cake
• Carefull management essential
Refused tea
• Low availability
• Till now on experimental basis
Sand
• Has been reported as an acceptable litter material
Litter treatments
• Litter treatments limit ammonia release by decreasing pH of litter
• Inhibit activity of bacteria that break down uric acid in litter to ammonia gas
• It has been seen at pH 7 or lower, litter releases very little ammonia.
Chemicals used for litter treatment
• Phosphoric acid
• Sodium bisulfate
• Ferrous sulphate
• Calcium phosphate
• Aluminium sulphate
Litter problems
• Coccidiosis
• Cake formation
• Eating of litter
• Ammonia deposition