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M. Sc. Dissertations

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End date: 2007 × Start date: 2007 × Thesis Type: M.V.Sc ×
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Effect of litter type and stocking density on the performance of broilers and composition of used litter
    (CCSHAU, 2007) Sreehari. S; Sharma, R.K.
    Broiler farming can be made more profitable by the use of cheaper litter materials which can be recycled after use without affecting the performance adversely. Stocking density also influences welfare of broilers and thereby contributes to the growth and overall profitability of the operation. Few studies have been conducted in Indian conditions. The present study may provide an answer to whether or not chaffed paddy straw or wheat straw can be used as litter materials, and the stocking density of the birds so that the resulting litter material might be profitably recycled as ruminants feed. Two hundred and forty (240) day-old unsexed, commercial broiler chicks were procured from the private hatchery in February, 2007 and reared on deep litter following standard managemental practices. The experiment was conducted in two phases. In the first phase the chicks were reared on two different litter materials viz., paddy straw and wheat straw at different stocking densities of 0.15 sq.m./bird and 0.18 sq.m./bird. Each treatment had four replications with 15 chicks in each replicate. In the second phase of the experiment the litter from the various treatments were made into stacks, covered with polythene sheet and ensiled for three weeks after addition of molasses and with or without inoculation with fermented milk. The parameters studied were body weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion ratio, moisture content of litter, pH of litter, proximate composition of litter, carcass characteristics, economics of the various treatments, proximate composition of the litter before and after ensiling and pH of the silage. The use of wheat straw as litter material together with a floor space allowance of 0.18 sq.m./bird was found to be most profitable for rearing broilers. The use of fermented milk as a source of lactobacilli during ensiling of broiler litter was found effective in reducing dry matter losses and loss of protein during ensiling of litter.