POULTRY LITTER GOOD MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR BETTER PRODUCTION
Post no 1360 Dt 14 th August 2019
Compiled & shared by- DR RAJESH KUMAR SINGH, JAMSHEDPUR,9431309542,rajeshsinghvet@gmail.com
Good litter is a basic tenet of a well-managed broiler farm, indicating less ammonia, a better environment and healthier birds.
First and foremost, we need to know what is called poultry litter. this is a mixture of poultry excreta, spilled feed, feathers, and material used as bedding in poultry operations.
A poultry flock kept on well maintained litter is healthier and more profitable than one kept on poor quality litter. Diseases such as pododermatitis, hock burn and breast blisters are all a consequence of poor litter. In turkeys the so called “shaky leg syndrome” sometimes follows foot ulceration associated with poor litter quality. These disorders cause unnecessary suffering to the birds and can also result in downgrading of the end product at the slaughterhouse.
Litter Management
- Although litter will function more efficiently on an earthen floor, a concrete floor is advised for a perfect disinfection at the end of each batch.
- About 3-5” of litter should be put into the house initially and, as this breaks down, more should be added till a depth of about 8-12” is reached.
- Before adding fresh litter material, remove the caked up and wet litter material.
- Rack the litter thoroughly to break the clumps with the help of the litter racker and allow it to dry.
- Sprinkle a mixture of wood ash and fertilizer grade superphosphate in the ratio of 4:1, at the ratio of 5 kg per 10 m2 area, before racking the litter to prevent ammonia gas release from litter.
- Addition of slaked lime may be avoided that will increase the pH of the litter which in turn release more ammonia from the litter and also favours the growth of E. coli, the most common pathogen of poultry.
- At the beginning the litter contains only 12% moisture. If the moisture level exceeds 30% due to poor ventilation, too many birds, irregular stirring or damp floor, the litter will cease to function efficiently. Because the manure digesting bacteria can be active only within 30% moisture level of the litter.
- Some time many birds will bear “balls” made of litter materials at their claw tips. Ball formation is a sign of bad litter management.
- Built-up litter has a very important role in providing warmth to the birds in winter.
- In winter the litter depth can be increased to 10-12” while in summer it may be reduced to 2.5-4”.
Recycling of nutrients in deep litter system————
- The dropping from chicken when mixed with litter synthesizes Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) and Vitamin B12 by the chemical and bacterial actions.
- The built-up litter also contains niacin, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, sodium and calcium.
- Deep litter bird often pecks and eats a small quantity of litter material which contains above nutrients. This phenomenon is known as recycling.
- Even if the poultry feed is slightly deficient in some of the nutrients, the deep litter birds will not show any deficiency symptoms due the recycling of nutrients.
- In cage rearing the recycling of nutrients is completely absent.
- So, all the nutrients including calcium, phosphorus and sodium must be balanced meticulously in poultry ration.
Qualities of good litter material———–
- It must absorb moisture from droppings quickly.
- It must release moisture and dries up rapidly.
- It must have least tendency to form cakes.
- It must be free from mould growth.
- It must be free from sharp objects and other objectionable materials.
- It must be non-toxic, inert and compressible.
- It should possess good insulating properties and protect chicks from extremes of climate.
- It must be cheap and locally available.
- It must be biodegradable, supply some nutrients to the birds and form a good quality manure later.
- It must have medium particle size, soft and light in weight.
- Quality of a litter material is tested by picking a hand full of litter material and presses it tightly.
- A good litter material is the one which breaks up when hand is open and the litter material with more moisture will form a ball in the hand.
- Too much dried litter material causes dustiness in the farm.
Factors Effecting Litter Conditions————
There are three factors that have particularly important effects on the litter condition. a) Litter Moisture b) Greasy Capped Litter c) Nitrogen in the litter
Litter Moisture
Litter moisture is the key to the burnt hock problem. It is unusual for there to be burnt hocks when the litter condition is friable and dry. Litter moisture is affected by drinker design; air change rate; litter material and depth; stocking density; diet and flock health. Wet litter causes degeneration of the outer scales on the hocks and feet (i.e. on the pressure points). As liveweight increases and mobility decreases the pressure becomes greater and contact with the litter more prolonged. Males are therefore more affected by wet litter than females.
Greasy Capped Litter
When there is too much fat in the feed or it is of poor quality, the fat content of the faeces increases. Consequently the litter also has a higher fat content which causes it to lose its friability more quickly. A cap forms and the pressure points on the bird’s legs and breast are then vulnerable to damage.
Nitrogen in the Litter——-
Experimental evidence suggests that the worst burning tends to occur when the nitrogen content of the litter exceeds 5.5%. The quality and amount of protein in the feed should be examined if litter nitrogen levels are high. At these times, the moisture content of the litter is also often found to be high.
Control of Litter Condition———–
A number of issues can affect the condition of poultry litter. These include:
- Drinker Design and Management
- Air Change Rate and House Environment
- Litter Material and Depth
- Stocking Density
- Nutrition
- Flock Health
Drinker Design and Management——-
Of all the factors that affect litter moisture, probably the most important is the design and management of the drinkers. This is not surprising when one considers that a poor drinker design will waste as much as 15,000 litres of water in a 20,000 bird broiler house over a 49 day growing period!
It is essential for drinkers to be at the optimum height for the birds. This too reduces wastage. A nipple or cup drinking system at the correct height can lead to up to a 7% reduction in litter moisture.
Air Change Rate and House Environment———-
In poultry houses, three factors have to be considered together, because their control is interdependent. They are the environmental temperature, ventilation rate and humidity. Ideally their control should be interlinked. The humidity of the poultry house environment is affected by the number and size of the birds and therefore by their respiratory output and also, of course, by the relative humidity of the air being drawn into the house by the ventilation system. When the relative humidity in the house exceeds 70%, the moisture content of the litter tends to increase, leading to poorer conditions. The aim should be to maintain a relative humidity level in the house of between 50 and 70% by supplying sufficient air and added heat when necessary. The ventilation rate must always be maintained at a level sufficient to ensure that ammonia does not approach the threshold level of 25ppm. In cold weather this may necessitate increasing the heating levels within the house
It is important to prevent cool moist air from falling to the litter. With the correct controls and inlet design this can be achieved. Tell tale soggy areas of litter can often be shown to be where the air has tumbled into the house from ridge inlets or down to the litter from wider than necessary eaves inlets. Roofs and walls of poultry houses must be adequately insulated to prevent condensation. Insulation with a U value of 0.4W/m2 C or better is necessary. To prevent deterioration of the insulation, a vapour seal between the birds and the insulant is essential unless self sealed insulation is used. Likewise cool water pipes and tanks should be lagged and the dwarf walls should be insulated. Ideally the concrete floor of the house should have a waterproof membrane to prevent rising damp.
Litter Material and Depth————-
The most effective litter material for poultry is wood shavings. The most commonly used alternative is chopped straw. The action of chopping the straw makes it more absorbent. Recently introduced pelleted, dried and treated products are now available and these are used at a lesser depth than the usual 5cm of woodshavings or 5 – 10 cm of chopped straw. In general, neither the choice of material nor its depth has a consistent effect in preventing the problems associated with poor quality litter. With friable litter, increasing the depth can obviously improve the ratio of litter to faeces. Poultry litter that is friable has a temperature that increases to about 27C. This warmth is due to bacterial breakdown of the faeces. When it is capped and cold the litter material may need ‘topping up’ with fresh litter so that direct contact with the wet cap can be avoided and the welfare of the birds enhanced. An extreme example of this occurs with ducks where frequent topping up is essential because of their very wet faeces.
Stocking density————
A guide to maximum stocking densities is given in the Defra Welfare Codes. For table chickens this is 34kg/ m2 and for adult laying birds not more than 7 birds / m2 . Most of the water, fat and nitrogen found in the litter has been excreted from the birds as faeces. Therefore the higher the density the more of these factors the litter has to absorb. The rate of evaporation of moisture from the litter falls as stocking density increases, so particular attention must be paid to litter quality as the birds approach killing weight.
Nutrition————
Any dietary factor that makes the birds increase their water consumption is likely to lead to wetter litter and therefore higher risks to the birds’ welfare. The following factors should not exceed their optimum levels:-
Sodium and chloride – Use sodium bicarbonate as well as salt Potassium – Beware of molasses, manioc, excessive soya Crude protein and amino acids – As well as increasing the moisture content of the faeces, excess nitrogen is excreted. This increases the severity of burnt hocks. Poorly digested feed ingredients can lead to wetter litter, higher litter nitrogen and therefore an increased welfare risk. For this reason protein quality and the amino acid balance must be optimal. Enzymes such as B glucanase can aid the digestibility of cereals in the feed.
Added fat is an essential ingredient in achieving adequate dietary energy levels for poultry meat production. The quality, composition and quantity of the fat has a direct effect on the level of the fat in the faeces. High faecal levels can lead to the litter capping at lower moisture levels. The fat blend must have optimal ratios of saturated and unsaturated fats. Saturated fats are less well digested especially early in life. It is vital that those responsible for formulations realise that the effects of each of the possible nutritional anomalies are additive.
Flock Health———-
There are several infectious and non-infectious diseases and conditions that may increase the severity of hock burn, pododermatitis and breast blisters. Any disease or skeletal abnormality that reduces the birds’ mobility is likely to affect their welfare adversely, as they will have increased contact with the litter. Enteritis and disorders such as the so-called malabsorption syndrome can result in an increased excretion of water in the faeces. Likewise, infectious bursal disease (Gumboro Disease) is well known to result in extremely wet and foul smelling litter almost overnight. It is essential to seek and act upon veterinary advice if disease is suspected.
Remember: not all hock burn or breast blisters are simply a result of poor litter quality. If birds spend excessive amounts of time squatting down due to leg problems or other diseases they will be more likely to suffer from these lesions regardless of litter condition.
