Effect of litter type on health, performance and air quality in a forced ventilated turkey house
2010
Berk, Jutta | Hinz, Torsten
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of three different types of litter on animal health (foot pad dermatitis, mortality), performance (body weight) and air quality (dust, CO2, NH3) in a forced ventilated turkey house. Female turkeys of line B.U.T. Big 6 were allocated to 12 pens (each 18 m2; 85 turkeys per pen). Two groups each were kept on lignocellulose and wood shavings over the whole experimental time (16 weeks) and two groups were reared on wood shavings (6 weeks) and kept on chopped straw afterwards (10 weeks). Body weights significantly increased in groups kept on lignocellulose (10.8 kg) and wood shavings (10.6 kg) over the whole fattening time compared to birds which changed from wood shavings to chopped straw (10.3 kg, P<0.05). Mortality and foot pad dermatitis was not significantly affected by litter type. Extemal foot pad lesions developed at a very early age and could already be observed at the first assessment two weeks after hatching. The severity and number of lesions increased with age of turkeys in all groups. The highest values for NH3 were measured for wood shavings, the lowest for chopped straw. The concentration of carbon dioxide showed only minor differences between the different litters contrary to the dust concentration which was highest in pens with lignocellulose. The alternative litter type lignocellulose seemed to have a positive effect on foot pad dermatitis and performance of female turkeys. However, air quality, particularly dust concentration, was negatively affected and it seems necessary to improve this litter type to avoid negative side effects.
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