7 ways to manage poultry litter for optimum performance

Poultry are in continuous contact with litter, so it is no surprise that when conditions are poor, birds will not perform to their genetic potential.

Sara Perez, veterinary director at Poultry Health Services, says litter is a critical factor in shed management: as well as affecting the environment (directly through ammonia emissions) it affects bird welfare.

See also: How biofilms can improve litter quality and bird health

In sheds where litter is wet and dirty, a high incidence of pododermatitis and hock burns is not uncommon.

Such conditions can also result in breast blisters, leading to carcass condemnations at the processing plant.

Older birds are more at risk because, as broilers gain weight, they lie down for longer periods and, if conditions are poor, this can cause cellulitis or breast blisters.

“It is not a condition a farmer might see on the farm but, in the abattoir, when the skin is removed, the pus will be evident, and the carcass is condemned,” she says. “It is not only a welfare issue – because it is likely to be painful for the bird – but a health and economic issue too.”

Sara gives her expert advice on good litter management practices.

1. Choose bedding carefully

Many types of bedding can be used in poultry systems, with sawdust, wood shavings, straw and paper the most common.

Sara rates shavings as the gold standard because of their capacity to absorb moisture, and they also provide good cushioning for bird comfort.

If using straw, she advises that it should be finely chopped to enhance its absorption capacity: “Long stems of straw don’t absorb moisture well,” she points out.

2. Provide enough depth of bedding

Not only is the type of litter important but the depth too. The industry recommendation is a minimum of 5cm, but that depth is often not consistent in all areas of the shed.

In some parts it might be 10cm, while in others there is no bedding, says Sara.

“Farmers will tell me that the birds will spread the bedding, but chicks just can’t do that on the first days,” she says.

When birds are touching bare patches on the floor, they get cold. That chilling effect will result in diarrhoea and, consequently, wet litter.

When birds are small they produce only a small volume of faeces, and even with diarrhoea, it might not make the litter particularly wet. But the bigger the bird, the bigger the volume of faeces.

“If you have 50,000 birds in a shed with watery faeces, the litter can become saturated literally overnight,” she says.

“I have been in sheds where the litter is dry one day and the following day completely wet.”

3. Check water pressure regularly

High water pressure at an early age will put birds off from drinking – so much so that they can die from dehydration.

Sara likens excessive pressure in the drinking line to the experience of a person trying to drink water from the end of a hosepipe:

“Anyone who has tried that when the pressure is high might get splashed in the face with water,” she says.

“It is the same experience for a chick trying to drink water from a nipple drinker at high pressure – if they get water in their face every time they go to the drinker, they will be reluctant to use it.”

If the pressure is correct, there should be no water in the cups beneath the nipples.

“If the cups are full of water, the water pressure is likely to be wrong or the drinker line is probably at the incorrect height,” she advises.

4. Adjust drinker line height as birds grow

In broiler systems where birds are growing daily, the drinker line height must be adjusted to allow for this. Aside from growth, uneven bedding can also affect how well birds can access drinkers.

Sara says this is an issue when the bedding beneath the drinkers becomes swollen with moisture.

“The bedding rises, and that means the nipple drinkers are at different heights. You can end up with dunes of shavings,” she explains.

5. Maintain a consistent diet

Diet is one of the main factors affecting litter condition. Diets with a high fat content or containing fat that is of a low quality will prevent bedding from absorbing moisture.

A tell-tale sign is when faeces are black and sticky, says Sara. “You can see oil in the faeces, and that oil makes the litter less absorbent.

“It will also make the litter sticky, and it will stick to the birds’ feet and cause pododermatitis.”

Pushing for growth with a high-protein diet can also cause issues, she adds.

“A significant and sudden increase in protein levels in the diet will damage the gut integrity, which results in birds getting diarrhoea and pododermatitis.

“If there is a high concentration of nitrogen being excreted, that will burn the feet too.”

6. Reduce stocking density

Many retailers now require their suppliers to stock birds at a 20% lower rate than the industry standard.

Stocking birds at a maximum of 30kg liveweight/sq m of floor space, as opposed to the Assured Chicken Production requirement of 38kg/sq m, has a beneficial effect on litter, Sara has observed.

“With less pressure on litter and more space, we are seeing fewer health issues in general,” she says.

“A lot of farmers were reluctant to reduce stocking densities initially, but with fewer birds they are making the same profits, if not more. I think it is the way to go.”

7. Keep sheds ventilated

Getting shed ventilation right can be a challenge because requirements change with the time of day, season, temperature, humidity, wind, bird age and stocking density.

If ventilation is inadequate, litter will quickly become wet:

“Relative humidity needs to be under 70%, and that can be tricky because the air coming into sheds in the UK has high levels of moisture, even in the summer,” she says.

“Humidity builds up and, if it is higher than 70%, there can be condensation on the walls and drinking lines.

“There is a fine balance between achieving the right humidity and temperature; the main issue is to remove humidity rather than bring it in.”

Air movement across the litter from ventilation fans can make a big difference in removing moisture from the litter, while circulation fans will move hot, dry air from the ceiling down to floor level where it is needed.

Stage of production needs to be considered when ventilating sheds.

For a chick coming from a hatchery, where humidity is at 90%, to a shed where the humidity might be 40-50%, the experience will be similar to going from the tropics to the Sahara, Sara suggests.

“However, as the air coming from outside into the sheds has a high level of humidity, humidity levels rapidly increase within a couple of days,” she points out.

“The focus must remain on controlling the humidity levels so that they don’t become so high that the litter becomes wet.”