Effect of litter treatment on growth performance, intestinal development, and selected cecum microbiota in broiler chickens

Abstract

-The objective of this study was to determine whether the type of bedding materials (sand, wood shavings, and paper) and of two chemical amendments (lime and bentonite) could interfere with litter quality (moisture, pH, and total bacterial counts), thereby influencing also the growth performance and the development of intestinal traits and cecum microbiota of chickens. Two hundred and seventy male Ross 308 broiler chickens were randomly assigned into nine treatment groups with three replicates per treatment. Broiler productive parameters, relative weight of different intestinal segments, content of cecal total bacterial counts (total aerobic bacteria, Lactobacilli, and coliforms), as well as litter moisture, pH, and total aerobic bacteria and coliforms counts, were assessed. Litter material, per se, did not significantly affect the productivity parameters at the end of the experimental period (42 days) with the exception of protein efficiency. A significant trend was found among treatments with regard to weight gain and feed intake, with lower performance in birds on sand beddings. Litter pH was relatively homogenous between bedding types and amendments, but the moisture was significantly lower when sand was used. Litter type did not influence the relative weight of the different intestinal segments; however, the type of amendment affected the relative jejunum weight, which was increased in bentonite-treated litter. The use of lime and bentonite treatments may be helpful to decrease the differences in litter moisture associated with particular bedding materials. The tested amendments do not interfere with the productive performance of birds.

An assessment of the impacts of litter treatments on the litter quality and broiler performance: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…These results are corroborated by studies [15,34,51,91], which despite not having found significant difference in performance, showed that the adsorbents improved the quality of the litter. By normalizing the litter moisture, the adsorbents control the pathogenic microbiota [51]. Therefore, the results indicate that adsorbents can influence litter characteristics without affecting broiler performance.…”

“…However, alkalizers seem to have a negative influence on the performance of birds, since they showed significantly worse feed conversion compared to untreated litter and, also, a negative trend for weight gain and mortality rate. Several authors have not found a significant effect of the application of lime on the performance of broilers [15,48,51,88,89].…”

Effects of the Summer Savory (Satureja hortensis L.) Powder and Extract on the Performance of Male Broiler Chicken

“…Dried savory was obtained from the Agricultural Jihad Organization in Hamadan, Iran, and the extracts were prepared as described by Bombik et al (2012) [1]: To do so, 200 grams of the dried herb per liter of water was daily infused for 10 minutes, cooled to the temperature of 40°C, and strained. Following that, The dried SP (1.0% or 2.0%) or SE (50 or 100 ppm) was added to the diet and drinking water [16], respectively during days 1-42 to evaluate their effects on performance.…”

Desempenho Zootécnico, Rendimento De Carcaça E Parâmetros Sanguíneos De Frangos De Corte Criados Sobre Cama Tratada Com Redutor De Amônia

“…Tabela 2 -Desempenho zootécnico (sete a 49 dias de idade) de frangos de corte criados sobre cama com adição de Assim como constatado neste estudo, Bruno et al (1999) e Neme et al (2000) ao adicionarem gesso agrícola à cama de frangos de corte na proporção de 10, 20, 30 e 40% do peso da cama, relataram não haver diferenças nos resultados de ganho de peso, consumo de ração, conversão alimentar e mortalidade em relação ao tratamento controle, independentemente do nível de adição. Taherparvar et al (2016) ao avaliarem o uso ou não da aplicação de bentonita (3 kg/m³) ou cal (1,5 kg/ m³) em diferentes tipos de cama (areia, maravalha ou papel) também não verificaram alteração no desempenho zootécnico aos 42 dias de frangos de corte machos da linhagem Ross 308 ® . Os autores sugeriram que estudos adicionais sejam feitos a fim de destacar a existência de efeitos benéficos de qualquer tratamento em materiais para cama de frangos de corte.…”