Physical characteristics of Erianthus arundinaceus as a bedding material for broiler

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the physical characteristics of the biomass crop Erianthus arundinaceus as a bedding material for broiler and to compare it with existing bedding materials. Three physical characteristics were evaluated: the water absorbability, the water-holding capacity, and the cushioning property. E. arundinaceus, shredded to five different particle sizes, was compared with sawdust, which is a typical bedding material used worldwide, and three alternatives: recycled paper, rice husks, and bagasse. E. arundinaceus absorbed water 5.0 to 10.2 times its weight, and water absorbability increased with decreasing particle size. E. arundinaceus held water around twice its weight regardless of the particle size. The cushioning property of E. arundinaceus tended to improve with increasing particle size. For each physical property, the total average value of the E. arundinaceus samples was compared with the values of other bedding materials. The water absorbability of E. arundinaceus was significantly higher than that of sawdust, recycled paper, and rice husks (p < .01).The water-holding capacity of E. arundinaceus was significantly higher than those of sawdust, recycled paper, rice husks (p < .01), and bagasse (p < .05). The cushioning property of E. arundinaceus was significantly higher than those of sawdust and recycled paper (p < .01). When E. arundinaceus had an average particle size of less than 2.33 mm, it exceeded sawdust in all physical characteristics, suggesting that E. arundinaceus could replace sawdust as a favored bedding material. Our observations of surface structures revealed that the stem pith of E. arundinaceus has a spongy structure, which may contribute to its high water absorbability and water-holding capacity.Moreover, the outermost layer of the E. arundinaceus stem appears to function like a leaf spring, contributing to the high cushioning property.

Physical Characterization of Ten Hemp Varieties to Use as Animal Bedding Material

“…High moisture in the bedding increases ammonia build-up through increased microbial metabolism, resulting in respiratory lesions [18], whereas a low moisture content assures a longer storage period of the bedding material since it affects the litter's physical and handling properties such as compressibility, compaction, and cohesion [23]. Hemp shives (7.78%) showed similar moisture content to other bedding materials such as wood shavings (7.1 and 7.37%), corn stover (8.06%), rice hulls (8.37, 8.7, 10%), and wheat straw (8.44%) [23][24][25][26], but higher moisture content than recycled paper (3.82%), rice husks (4.62%), and sawdust (4.83%) [22].…”

“…Unfortunately, we do not have any information about the nature of either of these samples to offer any further discussion. In previous studies, water absorption of bedding materials was reported and showed values of 266% for fine wood shavings, 305% for cereal straw, 320.8% for wheat straw, 330% for straw, 382% for recycled paper, 392.3% for paper cuttings, 315.9% and 460% for wood shavings, 462% for rice husks and 483% for sawdust [1,19,22,28]. This suggests that hemp shives may have a similar water absorption capacity to fine wood shavings which are known for their good moisture absorption.…”

“…It is clear that the particle size obtained after the whole processing of the hurds influenced all the physical parameters reported in this study. For instance, small particles usually give better performance for water absorption, because of the increased ratio of surface to volume [22].…”

Chopped straw and coffee husks affect bedding chemical composition and the performance and foot pad condition of broiler chickens

“…Appropriate bedding characteristics improve chicken production performance. In addition, the particle size of the bedding material was found to play an essential role in the development of FPD [ 46 , 47 ]. Thus, our research suggested that the lower incidence of FPD in chickens kept on CHs, especially pellets, was also due to their size compared to wheat-chopped straw.…”