Effect of Chemical Conditioners on the Quality of the Poultry Litter

Abstract

Abstract: The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of the coffee husks's poultry litter, treated with chemical conditioners. Such evaluation was based on its humidity, N-ammonia, pH and bacteria total counting. The experiment was carried out in a commercial industry, located in Cana city, Minas Gerais state, Brazil, being this region a significant coffee producer one. It were used three facilities, in which it were placed circular boxes, each of them divided in seven parts, 2 m2 each one, that corresponded to the seven treatments: coffee husks litter, new and untreated; coffee husks litter, new and treated with superphosphate (30 kg t-1); coffee husks litter, new and treated with agricultural gypsum at 40% of the total weight; coffee husks litter, new and treated with lime (0.5 kg m-2); coffee husks litter, reused (2 lots); and sawdust litter. Twenty two chicks were distributed in each treatment, totaling 154 birds per facility, in a density of 11 birds m-2. The samples were collected from the different types of litter at 7, 21 and 42 days of birds age, in order to assess the moisture content, pH, ammonia-N and the standard counting of bacteria. The hydrated lime provided an increase of pH in the initial phase of the production cycle (7 days), as well as a decreasing in the moisture of the reused litter, compared to the new one. The gypsum reduced the pH of the litter at the end of the second phase of the production cycle. The N-ammonia content of the reused litter, without treatment, was superior compared to the new one, untreated and treated with lime. There was no effect of chemical conditioners on the standard counting of bacteria, as well as on the surface temperature of the litter.