Effect of litter type and stocking density on the performance of broilers and composition of used litter
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Date
2007
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
CCSHAU
Abstract
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.
Description
Keywords
Sexual reproduction, Livestock, Crop residues, Wood, Rice, Biological phenomena, Wheats, Silage, Fermentation, Bacteria