Wood Shavings Litter Research Articles

NO2 Adsorption on Biochar Derived from Wood Shaving Litter: Understanding Surface Chemistry and Adsorption Mechanisms

NO2 Adsorption on Biochar Derived from Wood Shaving Litter: Understanding Surface Chemistry and Adsorption Mechanisms

Evaluation of a Product Derived from Porcine Plasma Protein and a Yeast Product with Similar Biological Activity in Diets of Growing Broilers.

Simple SummaryA 42-day feeding trial was carried out in a commercial research institution to determine the efficacy of two bioactive protein products, betaGRO® (BG) and celluTEIN® (CT). The birds were grown under two different environments. One was a low stress environment using clean wood shavings, while the other was a high stress environment where used wood shavings were obtained from a commercial farm that had suffered high mortality to simulate a commercial environment. Growing birds in the high stress environment had a negative impact upon overall bird performance; however, the addition of either BG or CT successfully mitigated these detriments. Improvements in 42-day body weight and feed conversion were observed in chicks grown in both environments in response to the addition of either BG or CT. Birds fed BG and CT were more uniform than birds grown on control diets. Mortality of birds in the high stress environment was significantly reduced by the addition of BG or CT. Addition of BG and CT resulted in improvements in total carcass yield and breast meat yield. This was observed under both environmental conditions, and in a similar magnitude for both products.The post-hatch period of a broiler is an integral point in their development and for the programming of musculoskeletal and immune cells. Therefore, the efficacy of two bioactive protein products, betaGRO® (BG) and celluTEIN® (CT) to impact post-hatch and lifelong development was evaluated. Birds were grown under a low stress environment using clean wood shavings litter and a high stress environment with used litter from a commercial farm that had suffered high mortality. Each additive was fed at 300 g/ton from day 1–14 and 50 g/ton from day 15–42. Growing birds in the high stress environment had a negative impact on performance (p < 0.05); however, addition of either BG or CT successfully mitigated the detriments of the high stress environment (p < 0.05), and in many cases, the performance was equal to or better than the performance of birds on the control diet in the low stress environment. Birds fed BG and CT experienced improvements in 42-day feed conversion, and were more uniform than birds grown consuming the control diet (p < 0.05). Mortality of birds in the high stress environment was reduced by addition of BG or CT (p < 0.05). Addition of BG and CT resulted in improvements in carcass and breast meat yield (p < 0.05). Together, these data suggest that BG and CT can be used interchangeably to improve broiler health and performance.

PSXI-4 Beauveria bassiana to control the mealworm Alphitobius diaperinus in chicken barns

Abstract One of the most common insects in poultry houses is the mealworm Alphitobius diaperinus, also known as the darkling beetle. Immature (larvae) and adults feed on seeds spilled on the ground or from poultry droppings. In addition to structural damage, this insect can also be a vector of diseases that can affect birds. In addition, the indigestible shell of the insect can cause digestion problems for birds, and thus affect the profitability of production. It is considered impossible to eliminate the populations of mealworms, and in organic poultry production, the control options are limited. The mycoinsecticide BioCeres WP, based on the fungus Beauveria bassiana, and which controls aphids, has been proposed to control the mealworm A. diaperinus in chicken barns. 450 adult mealworms from a commercial chicken barn were randomly distributed in 9 containers (1 m2) containing 10 cm of wood shavings litter and chicken feed. BioCeres WP was applied by spraying two applications of 40 ml of 10 g/L solution (representing 4 x 10^9 conidia per m2 per application). Mealworms were housed during a broiler batch at the chicken barn they were harvested from and received one of the following treatments: 1) control, water spraying; 2) BioCeres WP treatment. 3 repetitions for control and 6 for BioCeres WP were performed. BioCeres WP increased the mortality rate of mealworms (+101%, P &amp;lt; 0.02; 17.8% vs. 8.6%), compared to untreated mealworms, 28 days after treatment. Mortality rates were affected from day 14 until day 28 after treatment. A trial using 640 broilers in 32 pens revealed no adverse effect on growth performance or health. In summary, BioCeres WP could be involved in a biological strategy to control the mealworm Alphitobius diaperinus in chicken barns.

Rewarding memories? Behaviour of broiler chickens towards peat in flocks with and without previous exposure to peat

Under commercial conditions, environmental provisions assumed to have an enriching effect on broiler chicken welfare may be offered infrequently and at limited locations, raising questions about their enrichment value. We hypothesized that, if broilers given limited access to peat remembered peat as rewarding, they would subsequently be quicker to exploit fresh peat compared to broilers never previously exposed to peat. We observed 9 control flocks without previous peat exposure and 18 flocks given peat from 1 week of age with variable regularity and in limited locations. During flock visits at approximately 4 weeks of age, we placed 10 L of fresh peat in one location (peat patch) and pretended to do so in another location (control patch, wood shavings litter only). From 20-min video recordings of the peat and control patches, we determined the mean latency for the first five birds to perform standing, lying, ground pecking, ground scratching and vertical wing shaking in each patch. We also recorded the total number of birds present, and proportion lying, per patch based on instantaneous scan sampling at 1-min intervals. We used linear mixed models to assess effects of previous flock exposure to peat, patch type and their interaction, with farm as a random factor. Birds were quicker to ground peck, and slower to stand and lie, in peat than control patches, and the proportion lying was lower (i.e. birds were more active) in peat patches. Birds in peat-exposed flocks were quicker to ground peck than birds without prior peat experience. They also had shorter latencies to stand on peat, and to commence ground scratching and vertical wing shaking in peat, compared to birds in peat-unexposed flocks whereas previous peat exposure did not affect these behaviours in the control patch. In peat-unexposed flocks, birds were slower to stand, in the peat patch than the control patch, and fewer birds were present in the peat patch than the control patch throughout the 20-min observation period. Thus, birds in the peat-exposed flocks were quicker to exploit fresh peat by performing behavioural elements of foraging and dustbathing whereas birds in peat-unexposed flocks showed more caution towards the peat. We conclude that, even though provisioning of peat was relatively sparse and ephemeral, it was sufficient to generate long-term positive memories of the resource and to activate the performance of natural behaviours, supporting its value as an enrichment for broilers under commercial conditions.

Early mother-young interactions in domestic sows – Nest-building material increases maternal investment

Nest building is important in sow preparation for motherhood. However, straw or other bulky materials can block drains, and a finer-grained material such as peat is of interest as an alternative. The main aim of this study was to evaluate effects of different nesting materials on maternal behaviour during farrowing and early lactation.Norsvin Landrace x Swedish Yorkshire sows (n = 54) were loose-housed in individual farrowing pens with wood-shavings as litter. Mean (± SE) parity was 2.9 ± 2.0 (range 1–9), and 16 were primiparous. They were provided with peat (n = 18) or straw (n = 17) as nesting material from two days before expected farrowing until they farrowed, or received wood shavings litter only (controls, n = 18). From video recordings positive (i.e. sniffing, grunting, nudging) and negative (i.e. pushing, threatening barks, biting) communicatory behaviours from sow to piglets during farrowing (≤4 h) and on Day 1 post-partum (4 h) were registered by one-zero sampling at 1-min intervals. Nursing behaviour on Day 2 post-partum (6 h) was registered by continuous observation.During farrowing, sows provided with straw or peat as nesting material showed a lower frequency of negative communication towards piglets compared to controls (P < 0.05). Sows provided with straw had a higher proportion of sow-initiated nursing bouts and successful nursing bouts (i.e. with milk let-down) terminated by the piglets than sows in the peat and control groups. There were also differences in maternal behaviour across parities 1, 2–3 and ≥4 (P < 0.05). Sows of parity ≥4 exhibited a lower frequency of negative communication during farrowing than younger sows. On Day 1 post-partum, sows of parity 2–3 performed a higher frequency of positive communication than sows of other parities. The proportion of sow-initiated nursing bouts was higher in sows of parity ≥4 than in primiparous sows, whereas the proportion of successful nursing bouts terminated by piglets was higher for primiparous than older sows. Positive sow-to-piglet communication increased with litter size during farrowing, but declined with litter size on Day 1. Proportion of sow-initiated nursing bouts increased with litter size, whereas the proportion of successful nursing bouts terminated by piglets decreased. The number of piglets without a teat during milk let-down increased with litter size (P < 0.05).These findings show that both peat and straw were associated with a lower rate of negative sow-to-piglet communication during farrowing compared to sows given wood shavings alone. Provision of straw, particularly, resulted in nursing behaviour indicative of increased maternal investment.

The utility of infrared thermography for evaluating lameness attributable to bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis

Bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO) is a leading cause of lameness in broilers. Infrared thermography (IRT) is a noninvasive technique for measuring infrared radiation from an object and can be used to evaluate clinical health. Two replicated studies compared the effect of light intensity on broilers grown on a wire flooring model that experimentally increased their susceptibility to and incidence of BCO lameness. Day-of-hatch male broiler chickens were placed into 6 pens on wood shavings litter, and at 1 wk one of 3 light intensity treatments (2, 5, or 10 lux) was allotted. At 4 wk half of the population from each pen was moved to a pen with wire flooring and the same light intensity. At 1, 4, 5, and 8 wk, an IRT image of the legs of 5 clinically healthy broilers from each pen was taken. The right and left proximal femora and tibiae of sound and lame broilers were scored for femoral head necrosis (FHN) and tibial head necrosis (THN) lesion severity. There were minimal effects of light intensity and flooring. In Study 1, but not Study 2, broilers on wire flooring weighed less on day 38 (P = 0.007) and days 57 to 58 (P = 0.003) compared to those on litter. The proportion of broilers that became lame on wire flooring was 52% in Study 1 and 14% in Study 2. The proportion of sound broilers from litter and wire flooring pens with subclinical signs of BCO in their right or left proximal growth plates was over 45% for FHN and 92% for THN, and lame broilers had more severe (P < 0.0001) FHN and THN compared to sound broilers. IRT surface temperatures of the hock joint, shank, and foot were consistently lower (P < 0.0001) in broilers that became lame when compared to sound. Therefore, IRT surface temperatures of broiler leg regions may be useful for detecting lesions attributed to BCO.

Sanitary quality of broiler litter reused

ABSTRACT Considering the importance of the substrate to bedding in the poultry industry in Brazil, and the enormous pressure on environmental management as to the correct use and management of the waste generated by the production sector, this study aimed to analyze the effect of reuses of two types of litter on sanitary qualities and productive performance of broilers. The study was conducted with litter from 32 different broiler houses, two types of substrates and four cycles of reuses. The litter sanitary quality was verified by the identification of the presence of Escherichia coli and Salmonellaspp. and the incidence of footpad dermatitis. It was observed that the coffee hulls litter presented a reduction of 28.61 percentage points in the probability of occurrence of Salmonella spp when compared to the wood shavings litter, nevertheless, no statistical difference was observed on bacterial occurrence with Salmonella spp. for litter of different types or numbers of reutilization. The presence of Escherichia coli was detected in litter of all cycles, for both types of substrate. The occurrence of footpad lesions was detected for both types of litter, and was influenced by the number of reutilization cycles of the litter. The degree of incidence was detected only for the litter with coffee hull in which there was an increase of 30% between the first and second reuse from which tended to stabilize.

Evaluation of litter type and dietary coarse ground corn inclusion on broiler live performance, gastrointestinal tract development, and litter characteristics

Two 49 d floor pen studies were conducted to evaluate the effects of litter type and dietary coarse ground corn (CC) inclusion on broiler live performance, gastrointestinal tract (GIT) development, and litter characteristics. Experiment 1 was a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of 2 genders (male or female) and 2 CC levels (0 or 50%). From 15 to 35 d, the addition of CC decreased feed intake (P < 0.01) and BW gain (P < 0.05) of males but not females. The inclusion of CC decreased feed intake (P < 0.01) and BW gain (P < 0.01) from 0 to 49 d but improved adjusted feed conversion ratio (AdjFCR) from 35 to 49 d (P < 0.05). Male broilers exhibited better live performance than females during the study as evidenced by greater feed intake (P < 0.01) and BW gain (P < 0.01), and improved FCR (P < 0.01), but with increased mortality (P < 0.05). The inclusion of CC increased relative gizzard weight (P < 0.01) and decreased relative proventriculus weight (P < 0.01) at 49 d. Experiment 2 was a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of 2 CC levels (0 or 50%) and 2 litter types (ground old litter or new wood shavings litter). The inclusion of CC decreased feed intake throughout the experiment without affecting final BW when only males were used and improved FCR after 25 d (P < 0.01). New litter improved FCR from 1 to 14 d (P < 0.01). At 49 d, the birds fed the CC diet had reduced excreta nitrogen (P < 0.05) and litter moisture (P < 0.05). In conclusion, 50% CC inclusion initially produced negative effects on live performance that became positive as BW increased. The effects of CC became evident at an earlier age for males. New litter had only a marginal benefit on broiler live performance.

Prophylactic administration of a combined prebiotic and probiotic, or therapeutic administration of enrofloxacin, to reduce the incidence of bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis in broilers

Bacteria entering the bloodstream via translocation from the gastrointestinal tract spread hematogenously and can trigger bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO) by infecting osteochondrotic microfractures in the epiphyseal-physeal cartilage of the proximal femora and tibiae. In experiment 1, broilers were fed control feed or the same feed containing BacPack 2X, which includes the prebiotic IMW50 (a mannan oligosaccharide beta-glucan yeast cell wall product) plus the probiotic Calsporin (Bacillus subtilis C-3102). Broilers reared on wire flooring consistently developed higher incidences of BCO than hatchmates reared on wood shavings litter (≥24 vs. ≤4%, respectively; P = 0.001). Adding BacPack 2X to the feed on d 1 through 56 delayed the age of onset and reduced the cumulative incidence of BCO on wire flooring when compared with broilers fed the control feed (24.0 vs. 40.7%, respectively; P = 0.003). In experiment 2, broilers reared on wire flooring received tap water on d 1 through 62 (control group) or therapeutic levels of the potent fluoroquinolone antimicrobial enrofloxacin in the water on d 35 through 54 (enrofloxacin group). During enrofloxacin administration, half as many birds developed BCO in the enrofloxacin group when compared with the control group (8.1 vs. 19.5%, respectively, on d 35 through 54; P = 0.001), whereas both groups had similar BCO incidences subsequent to withdrawing enrofloxacin on d 55 through 62 (14.8 vs. 18.2% for the enrofloxacin vs. control groups; P = 0.386). Cumulative lameness incidences for d 1 through 62 were higher for the control group than for the enrofloxacin group (39.0 vs. 25.8%, respectively; P = 0.003). These results demonstrate that wire flooring imposes a rigorous challenge that leads to high incidences of BCO that can be difficult to suppress, even with therapeutic doses of enrofloxacin. Prophylactically adding BacPack 2X to the feed reduced the incidence of BCO lameness by a proportion similar to that achieved with enrofloxacin, indicating that probiotics potentially can provide effective alternatives to antibiotics for reducing BCO lameness attributable to bacterial translocation and hematogenous distribution.

Evaluating portable wire-flooring models for inducing bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis in broilers

Rearing broilers on flat or sloping wire flooring is an effective method for consistently triggering lameness attributable to bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO). Portable obstacles known as speed bumps (SB) also consistently trigger modest incidences of BCO when they are installed between feed and water lines in litter flooring facilities. Two experiments were conducted to determine the most effective broiler age for introducing the SB into litter flooring pens, and to evaluate alternative configurations of the traditional SB with the expectation that amplified mechanical challenges to the legs of broilers should increase the incidence of BCO. Broiler chicks obtained from commercial hatcheries (lines B and D in experiment 1, lines A and B in experiment 2) were reared in floor pens with ad libitum feed and water and a 23L:1D photoperiod. In experiment 1, the 5 floor treatments included wood shavings litter only (L), flat wire only (W), or litter plus SB installed at 14, 28, or 42 d of age. Line B was more susceptible to lameness than line D (25.9 vs. 15.3% for all treatments combined; P = 0.001). Both lines developed low incidences of lameness on L (11 to 13%), intermediate incidences on SB regardless of day of installation (12 to 23%), and high incidences on W (21 to 39%). In experiment 2, broilers were reared with 7 floor treatments, including L, W, SB with a 50% slope (SB50%); SB50% with a limbo bar installed over the apex; SB with a 66% slope and limbo bar; SB50% with a nipple water line suspended over the apex; and a pagoda-top SB. All SB were inserted on d 28. Line B was more susceptible to lameness than line A (20.2 vs. 16.1% for all treatments combined; P < 0.05), and for both lines combined the lameness percentages averaged 7.7 (L), 29.2 (W), 17.3 (SB50%), 16.2 (SB50% with a limbo bar), 21.5 (SB with a 66% slope and limbo bar), 20.8 (SB50% with a nipple water line), and 11.5% (pagoda-top). These studies demonstrate the portable SB can be effectively used to experimentally trigger BCO in broilers.

Selecting the most adequate bedding material for broiler production in Brazil

Broiler chicken production is widely dispersed across the globe, and one important issue for growers is the selection of adequate bedding material, as the availability and price of substrates varies among countries and regions within a same country. This study aimed at applying a multiple criteria analysis approach for the selection of the most appropriate bedding material for broiler production. Based on field research data and growers’ experience, the most desirable characteristics of a litter material were chosen as the main criteria. The selected materials were wood shavings, rice husks, chopped Napier grass (Pennisetum pupureum), 50% sugar cane bagasse (Saccharum L.) plus 50% wood shavings, 50% sugar cane bagasse (Saccharum L.) plus 50% rice husks, and pure sugar cane bagasse (Saccharum L.). The analytical hierarchy process (AHP) was applied for selecting the most suitable bedding material. Validation was performed using data from previous studies carried out in central-western Brazil on the effects of different types of bedding material on broiler carcass quality. Considering the selected criteria, several bedding materials were tested and ranked, and the results showed that wood-shavings litter was the best option (weight = 0.28), followed by rice husks (weight = 0.24). All other tested alternatives presented lower scores and were, therefore, not considered for use. The AHP approach was found to be an efficient tool to select the most appropriate litter material under specific scenarios.

A wire-flooring model for inducing lameness in broilers: Evaluation of probiotics as a prophylactic treatment

Bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO) is the most common cause of lameness in commercial broilers. Bacteria entering the blood via translocation from the respiratory system or gastrointestinal tract spread hematogenously to the proximal epiphyseal-physeal cartilage of rapidly growing femora and tibiae, causing BCO. We tested the hypothesis that rearing broilers on wire flooring should increase the incidence of BCO by persistently imposing additional torque and shear stress on susceptible leg joints. We also tested the hypothesis that probiotics might attenuate bacterial translocation and thereby reduce the incidence of BCO. In 5 independent experiments using 4 commercial lines, broilers grown on wire flooring developed lameness attributable predominately to BCO. The fastest-growing birds were not necessarily the most susceptible to lameness on wire flooring, nor did the genders differ in susceptibility in the 2 experiments that included both male and female broilers. The pathogenesis of BCO is not instantaneous, and accordingly, many broilers that did not exhibit lameness, nevertheless, did possess early pathognomonic lesions. These subclinical lesions were equally likely to develop in the right or left leg. The lesion status of the proximal femoral head did not determine the lesion status of the ipsilateral or contralateral proximal tibial head and vice versa. Broilers reared on wire flooring consistently had higher incidences of lameness than hatch-mates reared on wood-shavings litter. Adding probiotics to the diet beginning at 1 d of age consistently reduced the incidence of lameness for broilers reared on wire flooring. These experiments indicate that probiotics administered prophylactically may constitute an alternative to antibiotics for reducing lameness attributable to BCO. Rearing broilers on wire flooring provides an important new research model for investigating the etiology, pathogenesis, and treatment strategies for BCO.

A Nutritional Approach to the Use of Anticoccidial Vaccines in Broilers: Glutamine Utilization in Critical Stages of Immunity Acquisition

The utilization of vaccines has proven to be a good strategy to prevent coccidiosis but the process of immunity acquisition needs to be approached from a nutritional point of view as well if complete success in broiler performance is to be achieved. It has been reported that Glutamine (GLU) plays a key role both in the gastrointestinal tract and the immune system and its utilization could be beneficial to cocci-vaccinated broilers. In this study, twelve hundred one-day-old male chicks were vaccinated at a commercial hatchery with a coccidiosis vaccine and randomly allocated to four treatments, each of which had six replications with 50 birds per pen. Birds were maintained in pens with built up wood shavings litter. Each treatment consisted of the same basal diet that met average nutrient levels in the U.S. poultry industry with four different inclusion rates of GLU (0, 0.5, 0.75 and 1%). Birds were fed the experimental diets from 1 to 28 days of age and a common unsupplemented diet to 42 d. Body weights were significantly improved at 21 and 28 days for all the treatments where the GLU was included. Feed conversion was not significantly affected by the inclusion of GLU. There were no significant differences in body weight and feed conversion at 42 days but the numerical difference in weight between the control and the treatments with GLU observed earlier were maintained. At 43 days, eight birds per pen were processed in a pilot processing plant. Breast meat yield was not significantly different among treatments. Glutamine proved to be beneficial during the process of immunity acquisition improving broiler performance significantly until 28 days and maintaining the body weight difference until the end of the experiment.

Effects of initial body weight and litter material on broiler production

This experiment was carried out in a 104 m² poultry house located between the geographical coordinates 25°45'00" south latitude and 53°03'25" west longitude and an average altitude of 550 m, from September to November, 2008. The chickens were placed in 12 pens measuring 2 m² each at a stocking density of 12 chickens m-2. This study aimed at evaluating the effect of two different initial weights (chick weight on first day of experiment) and two types of litter material on broiler production parameters, litter humidity, as well as on breast and footpad lesions. A total of 240 female Cobb® chickens, derived from the same flock of breeders, was distributed in a completely randomized experimental design with a 2 (initial weight) by 2 (litter material) factorial arrangement with three replicates per treatment. Initial weights were classified as light (34.40 - 35.22 g) or heavy (39.29 - 41.30 g), whereas wood shavings and sawdust were used as litter material. Data were analyzed by ANOVA and means were compared by Tukey's test at 95% confidence level. Initial weight significantly influenced bird performance, as chickens with heavy initial weight presented higher feed intake and body weight. Type of litter did not have any effect on breast injuries and litter humidity. However, the wood shavings litter significantly influenced footpad lesions.

Turkeys are equally susceptible to foot pad dermatitis from 1 to 10 weeks of age and foot pad scores were minimized when litter moisture was less than 30%

Two randomized block experiments were conducted to determine the effects of litter moisture and age on the development of foot pad dermatitis (FPD) in female growing turkeys. Pens were littered with fresh wood shavings at the start of the experiments and excreta and soiled litter were replaced twice daily to maintain clean litter. In experiment 1 the birds (n = 5/pen) were subjected to increasing quantities of water to produce different litter moisture contents for 6 d. In experiment 2 the effects on FPD of high litter moisture for 6 d at 7, 21, 42, and 70 d were assessed. Scores for FPD, food intake, BW gain, litter moisture, litter pH, and behavior were assessed after 6 d on wet compared with dry, clean wood shavings litter. A linear effect was found of increasing litter moisture on mean foot score. Mean foot score increased with age on transfer to wet litter but the effect of age was relatively small. Body weight gains were similar in wet and dry treatments whereas feed intake was higher in turkeys kept on wet litter compared with dry litter. The results are consistent with the conclusion that high litter moisture is the primary cause of FPD and that turkeys are similarly susceptible from 7 to 70 d of age.

Intratracheal Administration of Bacterial Lipopolysaccharide Elicits Pulmonary Hypertension in Broilers with Primed Airways

Broilers reared under commercial conditions inhale irritant gases and aerosolized particulates contaminated with gram-negative bacteria and bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Previous studies demonstrated that i.v. injections of LPS can trigger an increase in the pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP); however, the pulmonary hemodynamic response to aerosolized LPS entering via the most common route, the respiratory tract, had not been evaluated in broilers. In experiment 1, broilers reared on new wood shavings litter in clean environmental chambers either were not pretreated (control group) or were pretreated via aerosol inhalation of substances (food color dyes and propylene glycol) known to sensitize the airways. One day later, the broilers were anesthetized, catheterized to record the PAP, and an intratracheal aerosol spray of LPS (1 mL of 2 mg/mL of LPS) was administered. Broilers in the control group as well as broilers pretreated with aerosolized distilled water or yellow and blue food color dyes did not develop pulmonary hypertension (PH; an increase in PAP) after the intratracheal spray of LPS, whereas broilers that had been pretreated with red food color did develop PH in response to intratracheal LPS. In experiment 2, birds raised under commercial conditions on used wood shavings litter developed PH in response to intratracheal LPS regardless of whether they had been pretreated with aerosolized red food color dye. In experiment 3, broilers reared in clean environmental chambers on new wood shavings litter were used to demonstrate that Red Dye #3 and propylene glycol are capable of priming the responsiveness of the airways to a subsequent intratracheal LPS challenge. Common air contaminants such as LPS can result in PH leading to pulmonary hypertension syndrome (ascites) in broilers with appropriately primed airways.

Comparative Susceptibility of Adult and Larval Lesser Mealworms, Alphitobius diaperinus (Panzer) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), Collected from Broiler Houses in Arkansas to Selected Insecticides

Loss of insecticide susceptibility was suspected in lesser mealworms, Alphitobius diaperinus (Panzer) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), in broiler chicken facilities in Arkansas due to reports of control failures. Bioassay tests using selected insecticides were conducted on adult and larval beetles collected from broiler chicken production farms having different insecticide application history. The residual and topical application tests showed that previous insecticide use had caused significant differences in the relative susceptibility of lesser mealworms. Topical application bioassay tests indicated that adult beetles had greater susceptibility to the insecticides tested than 8th instars collected from the same farm while in residual tests little difference was generally found in the susceptibility of adults and larvae exposed to the insecticides. Data suggested that the ability to de-toxify DDT and other organochlorine insecticides remained in some beetle populations due to spread of wood-shaving litter containing beetles over pastures among broiler production facilities, particularly involving facilities that have been in broiler production for over 40 y. A program utilizing integrated tactics that will reduce the dependency on insecticides is needed to manage litter beetles in poultry production facilities. The number of poultry production facilities being treated with insecticides to manage the lesser mealworm, Alphitobius diaperinus (Panzer) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), continues to increase in response to the poultry industries attempts to prevent significant economic production losses attributed to the presence of the beetles. Initially, the beetle infestations were reporte da s problematic when the late instars migrated from the wood-shaving or rice hull litter up the facility walls and tunneled into the insulation (Collison 1980) in search of a site in which to molt to the pupal stage followed with the newly emerged adults tunneling out of the insulation. This resulted in extensive economic damage to the insulation (Despins et al. 1987) and resulted in increased heating and cooling costs. Second, starting with the broiler flock initiation with 1- d-old chicks the broilers eat the larval and adult beetles, thus, consuming any

Foot dermatitis and productive traits in broiler chickens kept with different stocking densities, litter types and light regimen

The purpose of the research was to study the effects of high and low stocking density of broiler chickens, different types of litter and the adoption of short and long lighting regimen on broiler welfare through the evaluation of their productivity and incidence of foot pad dermatitis. 2,400 male Ross 508 were divided into 8 groups of four replicates each and reared in 32 pens according to a 3 factors experimental design of two levels each: low (LD) or high (HD) stocking density (11 and 14 birds/m2 for LD and HD respectively), chopped straw (CS) or wood shaving (WS) litters and short (SL) or long (LL) light regimens (16 h light and 8 h dark or 23 h light and 1 h dark respectively for SL and LL). Broiler growth rate and feed efficiency were positively influenced by a stocking density lower than 30 kg of live weight per m2. The adoption of a short light regimen reduced feed intake and improved feed conversion rate without modifying body live weight. Chickens reared on wood shaving litter showed a lower incidence of foot pad dermatitis.

Assessing the welfare consequences of providing litter for feed-restricted broiler breeders

1. Broiler breeder females were fed restricted allocations of a standard wheat–soy ration to meet target body weights. They were housed on raised plastic slotted floors (S) or wood shavings litter (L) from hatch to 8 weeks when each pen of 12 birds was transferred to another pen in the same block in a 2 × 2 factorial experiment (LL, LS, SL and SS). Measures of bird welfare were taken at 4 weeks of age, and at 9 and 10 weeks following transfer to the new pens. 2. At 4 weeks of age, birds reared on S spent more time standing, pecking the feeder, the wall and other birds and less time pecking the floor compared with those on L. Gentle feather pecks, strong feather pecks and strong feather pulls were more common in S than L. 3. Mean body weight was higher and coefficient of variation lower in birds on L than S at the end of the experiment. Feather loss and damage scores at 10 weeks were higher for birds reared from hatch to 8 weeks on S. 4. Birds that were reared on S continued to peck more at the pen walls after transfer to new pens but there was no other carry-over effect on behaviour. Birds on S at 9 and 10 weeks pecked more at the walls and less often at the floor, and rested less often. There was more feather pecking on S than on L in the second week post transfer. 5. Tonic immobility was greater and plasma corticosterone concentrations were lower at the end of the experiment in birds on L than S at 9 and 10 weeks of age. The heterophil–lymphocyte ratio was similar between treatments at 4 weeks and after the birds were moved to a new pen. 6. The results are consistent with the view that litter and wall pecking has de-arousing properties and that this activity is re-directed foraging that diminishes the stress of feed restriction.

The Effect of Baytril against Salmonella london Infection in Chickens

The purpose of this study was to obtain additional information regardingthe effectiveness of Enrofloxacin (Baytril®) against artificially inducedinfection of S. london in chickens.One hundred and sixty one day old chicks of mixed sex were dividedequally into two groups A (treated group) and B (control, infected non-treatedgroup). Chicks were reared on separated rooms on wood shavings litter, andgiven water and irradiated feed continuously for 55 days. All chickens wereinfected at 3 days with 4×105 S. london/ml in drinking water. The administrationof salmonella was followed by intestinal colonization, detected by isolation ofsalmonella from cloacal swabs, caecal contents and quantitative numeration pergrams of caecal contents, weekly for 8 weeks.Group A was treated with Enrofloxacin (Baytril®) 0.5 ml/L drinking wateron day 45 for 5 days. Twelve days after the end of the therapy the presence ofsalmonella could not be detected by cloacal swabs and in caecal contents.This suggests that Baytril seems to have a good efficiency in totalelimination of salmonella from the intestine of infected chickens.