Why you need to change your Poultry Litters

The answer is very simple. Badly kept litters can act as disease spreading agents in the poultry house. It can also affect the general performances of the birds. Birds kept in deep litter system will suffer coccidiosis and worm infestation more in an unchanged litter. Dusty (not dry) litter may also cause some respiratory distress for the birds.

Litter Materials

Regional availability of dry organic materials dictates which litter material poultry growers will use. The most commonly used materials on the floor of sheds are sawdust, wood shavings, rice hulls, straw and paper products (Table 1).

The litter material is spread approximately 5 cm deep and can serve several flocks, although single flock clean-outs are still very common for Australian broiler sheds.

Table 1. Type and volume (m³) of litter material and volume of litter produced in Australia

Source: Runge et al. 2007

Choice of litter materials

Hard fibre litter materials (wood shavings) have been demonstrated to improve gizzard development and improve feed conversion efficiency, without having an effect on feed intake or weight gain.

The hard fibre is thought to stimulate gut development, improve nutrient digestibility and alter the composition of the gut microflora of chickens ingesting it. While the choice of litter materials is affected by factors such as availability and cost, hard fibre materials have the twin advantages of assisting gut development and, seemingly, reducing the risk of Marek’s disease.

Composition

Figure 1. Caked

Litter is broadly comprised of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids and fats. Carbohydrates are responsible for the majority of biodegradable materials in the form of cellulose, starch and sugars. After it has been removed from the shed, litter forms free-flowing granular material, which includes varied proportions of large, caked pieces (See Figures 1, 2 and 3).

The chemical and physical composition of litter is highly variable due to differing bird species, diets, bedding retention times and other farm management practices (Table 2).

Read Also: Recommended Height of Deep Litter Poultry Pen and Cage Poultry Pen

Litter Chemistry

Two of the main elements affecting litter chemistry are Nitrogen and Phosphorous.

Nitrogen (N)

Figure 2. Free-flowing

Poultry manure contains two main forms of Nitrogen (N): uric acid and undigested proteins, which represent 70 and 30 per cent respectively of the total nitrogen.

Under aerobic conditions, uric acid and undigested proteins break down into ammonium, which is probably why it has often been referred to as ‘hot’ waste. The degradation process occurs quickly, with microorganisms being a fundamental component in determining the rate of conversion. Once applied to land, ammonium quickly converts to nitrite and finally nitrate, the most readily available form of N that plants can use.

In contrast, anaerobic decomposition of uric acid and undigested proteins is slower and results in the majority of N in litter being in the ammonium form. Often the storage of litter results in 50 to 90 per cent of the total N being present as ammonium by the time it was applied to land.

Phosphorous (P)

Figure 3. Approximately half a shed’s worth (15,000 birds) of litter

Phosphorus (P) concentrations in broiler diets are maintained to ensure rapid animal growth, and consequently manure usually has high P concentrations. Reported P concentrations in litter are variable, ranging from 9.8 to 27.1 g/kg, with the majority in a soluble form.

Table 2. Poultry litter analysis

^*Electrical conductivity is a measure of salinity, measured as a 1:5 suspension in water.

Source: New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (2004)

Like any animal manure, litter is also a potential source of pathogens and must be handled and used appropriately. There are no viral or protozoal agents present in Australian poultry that can be considered a serious or major risk to human health. This means that viral or protozoal agents are not a major human health risk in poultry litter re-use scenarios.

Read Also: Cages Vs Deep Litters: Which is better in Raising Birds? Find out

Current and future litter re-use

Application of litter directly onto land provides a convenient mechanism for disposal and is the most commonly used waste management option. Litter acts both as a fertiliser and soil conditioner, unlike inorganic fertilisers that do not supply soil organic matter to soils.

It is estimated that in excess of 90% of litter is spread on land that is close to the grower and, if used responsibly, has few environmental impacts. Currently, most Australian growers receive small profits from the sale of litter, or at least trade the litter for sheds to be cleaned and the litter taken away.

For some poultry producing regions in Australia, land application of litter is becoming less cost effective, predominantly due to restrictions on land availability and the cost of transporting litter.

Litter has significant energy value, which is comparable with wood and half that of coal. As a result, power plants overseas have been developed using litter as the primary fuel for heat generation and subsequent electricity production.

A host of other value adding technologies are also being developed to capture the energy and nutrients contained in litter while improving waste management for the poultry industry.

References

https://www.poultryhub.org/production/husbandry-management/housing-environment/poultry-litter/