Effect of Floor Litter Materials on Growth Performance and Skin Lesions of Arbor Acre Broiler Chickens

Abstract

This 8 week experiment was carried out evaluate the impact of bedding materials on growth performance and skin lesions of birds. A total of 120 Arbor Arces day-old broiler chicks of mean weight 40.00±0.50? fed commercial mash ad libitum were reared on concrete floor of well ventilated, deep litter poultry housing. The birds were assigned to one of five treatments at random. (spread height of 0.05m thick litter material) wood shavings (control), saw dust (T2), rice husk(T3), coconut husk(T4), and sun-dried chopped leaves of Tectona grandis (T5) respectively with 8 birds each replicated three times in an entirely random design. Results indicated that T. grandis litter was significant (P<0.05) when compared to parameter of skin lesion (breast blisters 0.25%,foot pad dermatitis 0.72%, hock burn 0.31%); with highest performance both for final live weight (1.76 kg); dressed weight (1.61kg) respectively at 8 week finishing stage. In addition, saw dust recorded depressed performance (weight gain 0.65kg) respectively at 4 week starter phase. According to the findings of this study, T. grandis litter material is associated with depression of skin lesions and better feed conversion leading to higher performance of final weight. T. grandis should be adopted as deep litter material for broiler farming by farmers and researchers.

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