Nutritive value of deep stacked and ensiled broiler litter for sheep

Abstract

Broiler litter was deep stacked and ensiled with water to achieved 40% moisture before being added, with or without 5% sugarcane molasses or with rumen contents, to a basal diet. The influence of stacking and ensiling of broiler litter on the numbers of Salmonella, Shigella, Proteus and total number of colony forming units (CFU) was investigated. Nutritive value of broiler litter processed by deep stacking and ensiling was evaluated in a digestibility trial. The experiment was conducted with 30 wethers allotted to five diets. A basal diet (20% corn grain, 23% wheat bran, 37% cotton seed cake, 18% wheat straw and 2% dicalcium phosphate) was given alone (1) or with broiler litter processed by deep stacking (2), ensiling (3), ensiling with 5% added molasses (4), or ensiling with rumen contents (1:1, wet basis) (5). For Diets 2–5, the ratio of basal diet to silage was 1:1, dry basis. For the digestion trial, diets were given at 20 g dry matter (DM) kg −1 body weight per day. Initial samples of broiler litter showed 2.5 × 10 8 CFU and Salmonella, Shigella and Proteus were present. The processes of deep stacking and ensiling were equally effective in achieving a complete elimination of all the pathogens. Apparent digestibilities of organic matter (OM) and crude protein (CP) (559.1 g kg −1 and 608.7 g kg −1 DM) were lower ( P < 0.05) for diet 2 (deep stacked litter) than for the other waste-containing diets (OM: 578.7 g kg −1, 582.9 g kg −1, 594.1 g kg −1; CP: 688.6 g kg −1, 675.8 g kg −1, 709.0 g kg −1 DM, for Diets 3, 4 and 5, respectively). Among the waste-containing diets, cellulose digestibility (398.7 g kg −1 DM) was higher ( P < 0.05) for Diet 5 (ensiled litter-rumen contents). The results indicate that deep stacking and ensiling are equally feasible and effective for eliminating the pathogens and processed broiler litter can be incorporated in the diet of ruminants at levels of up to 50% without any adverse effect on the health of the animals.