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