Effect of different litter material on performance and behavior of broiler chickens

Majid Toghyani, Abasali Gheisari, Mehrdad Modaresi, Sayed Ali Tabeidian, Mehdi Toghyani

Abstract

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of alternative litter materials on growth performance and behaviors of broiler chicks. Chicks were raised from 1 to 42 days of age, during the summer with an average temperature of 31 8C. In experiment 1, three hundred broilers (Ross 308) were randomly assigned to one of 20 floor pens. There were four replicates for each of the following five litter treatments: (1) no litter, (2) wood shaving, (3) sand, (4) rice hulls and (5) recycled paper roll. Results showed broilers reared on rice hulls had significantly lower body weight, feed intake and antibody titer (P < 0.05). Litter materials had no significant influence on feed conversion, carcass yield, abdominal fat, gizzard, intestine, ceca and lymphoid organs expressed as a percentage of body weight. In experiment 2, four pens were divided into four quarters and bedded with sand, wood shavings, rice hulls and paper roll. Birds (20/pen) were observed, ten times a day and one day per week from weeks 2 to 6. The birds spent 49% of their time in the sand side, 19% in the wood shavings, 18% in the paper roll and 13% in the rice hulls. The proportion of the total time budget spent dustbathing was greater on the sand side. The time spent sitting was also higher in the sand and wood shavings. Walking was greater on the rice hulls and paper roll but foraging was lower on the rice hulls. These results indicate that broilers reared on floor (no litter), sand and paper roll performed as well as those reared on wood shavings and when given a choice, broilers spent a greater proportion of their total time in sand and performed a greater proportion of their behaviors on sand.

Keywords: Broiler, Litter, Performance, Antibody titer, Behavior