On-farm assessment of switchgrass bedding
2016
Moyle, J.R. | Brooks, L.A. | McCrea, B.A. | Brown, W.R.
Grasses, including native switchgrass (SG), can be grown on marginal land and can produce large amounts of biomass. As these grasses are perennials, they can be used as buffers to help prevent nutrients from entering watersheds, and, once established, are productive for long periods of time. Chopped SG possesses the necessary qualities needed to be a good alternative bedding: it is lightweight, highly absorbent, dries quickly, and can be used as a fertilizer. While research has demonstrated that SG is a viable alternative bedding material in pen trials, no research has reported on the long-term viability of this bedding alternative in commercial houses during multiple grow-outs. The objective of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of using SG as an alternative bedding material in commercial production houses over consecutive flocks.Three farms were used to run comparisons of pine shaving (PS) vs. SG. No significant differences in bird wt. (PS 3.87 kg, SG 3.83 kg), feed conversion (PS 2.01, SG 1.98), livability, (PS 94.31%, SG 94.81%) or foot pad quality (PS = 0.775416, SG = 0.84658) were found. Additionally, no difference in the number of Darkling beetles (Alphitobius diaperinus [panzer]) was observed. These results suggest that in areas where SG grows well, it can be used as an alternative source of poultry bedding for commercial growers.
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