Effect of adding ozone into an intensive broiler production unit on performance, mortality, ammonia levels, and bacterial levels as compared with a non-ozone-treated broiler unit

Abstract

Ozone is a very unstable and reactive molecule that can rapidly oxidize many organic substances and is often used for odor control. It is also known to be an effective biocide at high dose levels. Despite the lack of scientific evidence linking ozone to reduced aerial ammonia at levels that are safe for birds and humans, there is still an interest in the use of the product for commercial production poultry units. The objective of this experiment was to determine the effect of adding atmospheric ozone at a target level of 0.05 ppm (level achieved, 0.03 ± 0.017 ppm) to rooms housing broiler chickens. Female broiler chickens were grown in either an untreated environment or an environment with added ozone (3 rooms of 5 replicate pens, each containing 110 birds/treatment). Bird weight and feed consumption were recorded on a pen basis at 21 and 40 d of age; mortalities were collected daily, and necropsies were performed. Air samples were collected and plated on appropriate media to count total aerobic bacteria at 11, 19, and 34 d of age and enterobacteria at 34 d. Atmospheric ammonia levels were measured on d 15, 20, 28, 32, and 38. A significant (P ≤ 0.05) improvement in feed conversion (feed:gain ratio) when corrected for mortality was noted in the ozone-treated birds (1.808 vs. 1.870). Birds exposed to ozone grew significantly slower (1.938 vs. 2.053 kg of BW gain), consumed less feed (3.695 vs. 3.953 kg), and had a higher mortality (11.46 vs. 7.33%) and condemnation percentages (10.36 vs. 3.39%) than nontreated broilers. The addition of ozone caused no significant decrease in ammonia level or total bacterial count. The major increases in morbidity and mortality of the birds subjected to ozone make ozone gas unacceptable for use in a commercial broiler unit and raise serious health issues for both producers and birds.

Farm-Scale Evaluation of Ozonation for Mitigating Ammonia Concentrations in Broiler Houses

“…Schwean et al 23 also evaluated the effect of adding O 3 (target level of 0.05 ppm) to rooms housing broilers. The authors concluded that the application of this gas in a commercial broiler unit is unacceptable at the dosage studied because of increased mortality and reduced body gain and feed intake.…”

“…NH 3 levels were measured only on specific days (15, 20, 28, 32, and 38 days), and the addition of O 3 caused a near-significant reduction (P ϭ 0.06) in NH 3 levels at 38 days (12.7 vs. 25.7 ppm) and total aerobe populations at 19 days (P ϭ 0.09). 23 As a powerful oxidizing agent, O 3 at high concentration levels may have potential to remove NH 3 through chemical reaction. This potential for NH 3 removal comes from the possible chemical reaction of O 3 and NH 3 .…”

First Results of a Detection Sensor for the Monitoring of Laying Hens Reared in a Commercial Organic Egg Production Farm Based on the Use of Infrared Technology

“…It is a sanification treatment that could improve air quality and reduce odors, levels of atmospheric ammonia, and bacterial load. Its use has been evaluated in many applications of the poultry industry [10,11,12] and also in intensive animal production units [13]. Its full effectiveness is not proved yet, and some possible issues regarding production and health—of both animals and human operators—are under evaluation.…”

A Monitoring System for Laying Hens That Uses a Detection Sensor Based on Infrared Technology and Image Pattern Recognition

“…They could allow improving the air quality, limit odors, reduce levels of atmospheric ammonia and bacterial load [ 8 ]. The application of these treatments has been already investigated both for egg industry [ 9 , 10 , 11 ] and for egg production farms [ 12 ]. It has been proven that a concentration of ozone of at least 1 ppm, is necessary to perform an effective bactericidal procedure but, in the same time, its toxicity has been demonstrated both for animals and humans [ 13 , 14 ].…”