Abstract
The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of two cleaning and disinfection programs on broiler performance and on the microbiological status of the facilities. This trial was an observational study of comparative character. Two experiments were conducted, with 960 birds each. Both experiments were carried out in a positive-pressure broiler house. Broilers were distributed in pens equipped with a bell drinker and a tube feeder each. In the first experiment, new wood shavings were used as litter material, and in the second, reused wood shavings were used. Two treatments with16 replicates of 30 birds each were evaluated. The regular treatment consisted of dry and wet organic matter removal, followed by washing. The European treatment consisted of dry organic matter removal, humidification, washing with water under high pressure, detergent application, rinsing, and application of two combined disinfectants: glutaraldehyde 250g/L + formaldehyde 185g/L; p-chlor-m-cresol 210 g/L. Biosecurity measures were adopted during daily management tasks to prevent cross contamination between treatments. The effectiveness of the treatments was evaluated by microbiological analysis performed before and after treatment applications, as well as by broiler performance results. Live performance results were similar between both treatments when broilers were reared on new litter. When reused word-shavings were used as litter material, the European treatment promoted better broiler performance. The European treatment was more effective than the regular treatment in reducing total microbial counts in the facilities when reused wood shavings were used as litter material, and positively influenced broiler performance.
Highlights
The high population of pathogenic bacteria broiler rearing facilities contributes to reduce bird welfare and increases carcass contamination levels
Before the cleaning and disinfecting procedures in the first experiment, total microbial counts were not different between the poultry house areas to be submitted to the different treatments (Table 1)
The lack of significant microbial count differences among the samples collected before treatment application is a desirable result, because it shows the homogeneity of the environment
Summary
The high population of pathogenic bacteria broiler rearing facilities contributes to reduce bird welfare and increases carcass contamination levels. Adequate health programs may benefit broiler growth by improving production efficiency and reducing the incidence of flock contamination (Payne et al, 2005). The influence of cleaning and disinfection on poultry bird health seems to be obvious, there are few studies on the direct relation between these practices and broiler performance, as well as on the effectiveness of these programs in eliminating microorganisms in broiler facilities. Studies evaluating the effectiveness of cleaning and disinfection procedures and their influence on broiler performance of these animals are needed
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