Basic information
One of the major concerns in the poultry farm is how to improve the litter quality. Improving litter quality performance of chicks, feed and water are all of great concern to broiler and layer producers but quality of litter in broiler houses is seldom given sufficient emphasis, this is unfortunate because birds are in continuous contact with litter. Litter conditions significantly influence broiler performance and, ultimately, the profits of growers and integrators. Litter is defined as the combination of bedding material, excreta, and feathers, wasted feed and wasted water
In the broiler or layer house, litter serves to absorb moisture, dilute fecal material, and provide insulation and cushion between the birds and the floor. Because birds are in constant contact with litter, litter conditions will significantly influence bird performance and ultimately profits of producers and integrators. The practice of built-up litter requires a higher degree of management to be successful. Growers need to be alert to changes in litter quality and take actions to maintain an appropriate in-house environment for optimal bird performance,controlling litter moisture coupled with the use of litter amendments can help growers manage litter quality
Controlling litter moisture and ammonia emission are primary areas of concern with built up litter. The use of nipple drinker systems, however, has made the reuse of litter possible by reducing the moisture content of the litter. The use of litter amendments, coupled with moisture control has made the reuse of litter in poultry houses a common practice. Proper litter management helps to improve in house air quality. Any investment growers and integrators make in maintaining ideal environmental conditions for their broilers will potentially return a significant dividend
Features
1. An effective bedding material must be absorbent, lightweight, inexpensive and non-toxic, ideal materials will have high moisture absorption and release qualities to minimize litter caking. In addition, a bedding material must be compatible as a fertilizer or soil amendment after it has served its purpose in the broiler house
2. Proper house preparation to release ammonia trapped in the litter is necessary to minimize ammonia release from the litter during brooding. Heating and ventilating the house 24 to 48 hours prior to chick placement will help to accomplish this
3. It may be necessary to increase minimum ventilation during the first few weeks of grow-out if ammonia levels become too high. Begin with at least 1 minute out of 5 on your timer and decrease the ratio as needed
4. Use caution when considering alternative bedding sources. Materials need to be evaluated based on their performance potential, downgrading potential, and potential for residues. The possibility of residues is the most serious consideration, whether it is compositional or accidental. If a chemical is in the bedding material, it has the possibility of ending up as a residue in broiler tissues
5. Do not be afraid to add heat to the house to facilitate moisture removal. As air is warmed, its ability to hold moisture increases. The combination of heating and ventilating will remove considerable moisture from the house.
6. Absorbs excess moisture from the droppings and drinkers and promotes drying by increasing the surface area of the house floor
7. Dilutes fecal material, thus reducing contact between birds and manure
8. Insulates chicks from the cooling effects of the ground and provides a protective cushion between the birds and the floor
Series of products to serve the poultry farm fully, click the name to learn more
1. Steel structure poultry house, opening type for hot countries and close type for cool countries
2. Poultry hatching equipment’s capacity of eggs up to 120,000+ to be hatching house
4. Chicken feed processing equipment from feed crushing and mixing to stock to feeding chicken
6. Egg processing equipment from automatic egg collection to packing egg to trays
7. Chicken slaughtering equipment from slaughter to vacuum package
9. Other poultry farm equipment are coming soon...
Bookmark our website and contact us now to discuss your modern poultry farm plan and quotation
Ways on how to improve poultry litter
1. Litter quality and performance
Broilers and layers do not perform to their genetic potential in a poor environment. The quality of the in-house environment is highly dependent upon litter quality. The litter environment is ideal for bacterial proliferation and ammonia production. The two factors that influence litter conditions most are manure and moisture. The manure portion is largely out of a grower’s control; however, growers can and must control litter moisture. Excess moisture in the litter increases the incidence of breast blisters, skin burns, scabby areas, bruising, condemnations and downgrades. The wetter the litter, the more likely it will promote the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria and molds. Wet litter is also the primary cause of ammonia emissions, one of the most serious performance and environmental factors affecting broiler production today. Controlling litter moisture is the most important step in avoiding ammonia problems. Litter that is too dry and dusty can also lead to problems such as dehydration of new chicks, respiratory disease and increased condemnations. Ideally, litter moisture should be maintained between 20 to 25 percent. A good rule of thumb in estimating litter moisture content is to squeeze a handful of litter. If it adheres tightly and remains in a ball, it is too wet. If it adheres slightly, it has the proper moisture content. If it will not adhere at all, it may be too dry
2. Management practices to improve litter quality
Many factors affect litter moisture. For instance, if new litter is not stored properly and becomes damp before it is spread in the broiler house, wet litter problems would likely be unavoidable. Nutrition also influences litter quality. Certain dietary ingredients (especially salt), when fed in excess, cause broilers to consume and excrete large amounts of water and result in wet litter conditions. Some drugs also stimulate excess water consumption and excretion. Environmental conditions such as wet and humid weather, condensation or very cold temperatures can cause wet litter if the broiler house ventilation system is not able to eliminate moisture effectively. Drinker lines, foggers and evaporative cooling pads, if not managed and maintained carefully, can contribute greatly to wet litter problems
3. Built up litter management
As a result of the availability and expense of pine shavings and sawdust, and the difficulty of handling and disposing of used litter, many poultry companies and broiler producers have adopted the practice of reusing litter for one, two or even more years of production. De-caking the house of crusted litter, preheating and ventilating the house prior to each flock is necessary to help purge the house of ammonia before chick placement. Field experience shows that good performance can be achieved by leaving the litter in the house through several flocks and top dressing the old litter with a light layer of new litter between flocks, this good performance may be facilitated when the old litter serves as a reservoir for “good bacteria” that acts by competitive exclusion to suppress pathogens. Additionally, old litter typically keeps the floors warmer during brooding. Some growers do not top dress between flocks and have found birds do as well on used litter as when top-dressed. Available machines can rework the litter, pick up the cake, stir the litter pack, and apply top-dress bedding. The practice of growing broilers on built up litter provides considerable management challenges. The potential for problems with ammonia, disease and condemnations increases each time another flock is grown on the same litter and intensifies the challenge of maintaining optimal in house environment. Controlling darkling beetles can also be a challenge in built-up litter houses
4. Litter amendments
As the practice of growing birds on built-up litter has increased, considerable effort has been made toward controlling the level of ammonia generated within the poultry house, numerous chemical and biological litter amendments have been developed to aid in addressing ammonia production from built up litter. The main premise of these products is the suppression of ammonia volatilization from the litter. Use of these products has become a common practice to enhance quality of litter, both in the house and as a plant fertilizer, these treatment products falls into three categories, such as acidifying agents that lower litter pH and thereby inhibit the bacteria that transform manure nitrogen into ammonia, clay based products that absorb odors and reduce ammonia release by absorbing moisture and products that act by inhibiting microbial growth and enzyme production through competitive exclusion and enzyme inhibition,
litter accumulation, litter moisture, bird type, brooding temperature program and disease challenge are among a number of variables that influence selection of treatment, efficacy and return on investment. Currently, the most effective products seem to be those that react chemically to lower the pH of the litter. The low pH creates an unfavorable environment for most bacteria, including those responsible for ammonia volatilization. Take care to ensure a sufficient and timely application, adequate moisture for activation, and appropriate ventilation. While the use of litter treatments has been effective to a degree in controlling ammonia, their overall use has met with varying levels of success
5. Litter quality and the bottom line
The costs of poor litter conditions to broiler producers are estimated (These estimates are based on one flock in a single broiler or layer house with a capacity of 20,000 birds.) Obviously, these costs are rough approximations, but they have been made very conservative to avoid overestimation. Actual losses are likely to be much greater. Growers and integrators share the economic losses outlined in the table. No attempt has been made to separate the costs between the two
6. Moisture control
Moisture control depends largely on management practices such as continuous ventilation monitoring and regular checks on water systems to prevent and repair leaks. Adjusting drinker height and water pressure appropriately as birds grow is also critical to avoid excessive spillage into the litter. Increasing ventilation as the flock ages is a necessity to meet moisture-removal requirements. As water consumption increases, ventilation should increase accordingly. A uniform bird density throughout the house is also important to moisture control. This means timely movement of birds from half to full house and uniform bird numbers in both the brood and non brood ends. Separate water meters for the brood and off ends can help determine when bird numbers are uniform throughout the house. Or, with practice, it becomes easier to “eyeball” each end and determine when numbers are uniform. Once numbers are uniform, migration fences should be used to maintain uniform flock distribution
Principles
1. Check and manage watering systems to prevent leaks that will increase litter moisture, adjust drinker height and water pressure as birds grow to avoid excessive water wastage into the litter
2. If leaks or spills occur and wet spots develop, the affected litter should be removed from the house promptly and replaced with clean, dry bedding
3. Remove cake with a housekeeping machine between flocks (rototilling is not recommended). Cake removal gets excessive moisture and manure out of the house, which, if left in the house, can contribute to elevated ammonia release from the litter in the ensuing flock. In most cases, these decaking machines are more expensive than one grower can afford however, several growers could share the equipment and reduce costs to a reasonable level
4. Take extreme care to completely disinfect such equipment before moving it from farm to farm
5. Make sure no moisture is getting in from the outside. Check grading and drainage around the building to ensure that storm water is being diverted away and not causing seepage issue under the pad
6. Use circulation fans to move air within the house. The fans help litter dry by moving warm air which can hold more moisture off the ceiling and down to the floor
7. In negative pressure power ventilated houses, use air inlets to bring fresh air into the house. When fans are on, static pressure should be maintained at .05 to .10 inches of water, so air velocity through the inlets stays within the range of 600 to 1,200 feet per minute. This keeps cold air from dropping to the floor as it enters the house and promotes good air mixing
Our services
1. We offer consultation, site survey, sample analysis of all our poultry equipment and chicken cages
2. We provide follow-up on technical support services to ensure that there is a stable operation of the poultry equipment purchased by our customers
3. We have experience in the design and manufacture of specialized poultry equipment
4. We have built a team that solves series of problem concerning all of our poultry equipment
5. We offer a non-destructive and safe delivery of poultry equipment
6. Our quality of our products is confirmed by international certificates of conformity
Frequently ask questions
Q: What are the qualities of a good litter material?
A: The traits of good qualities litter material is that, it must absorb moisture from droppings quickly, it must release moisture and dries up rapidly, It must have least tendency to form cakes and it must be free from sharp objects and other objectionable materials
Q: What causes poor litter quality?
A: One of the major causes is environmental conditions such as wet and humid weather, condensation or very cold temperatures which can cause wet litter if the chicken house ventilation system is not able to climate moisture effectively
Q: How often should poultry litter be changed?
A: The poultry litter should be changed at least once in two months and aside from that always change the litter whenever it gets wet or dusty even if it happens the next day after changing it the previous day, you must change them because they can affect you birds
Message
Products recommended
By clicking 'Allow All', you agree to the storage of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage and assist with our marketing efforts.