Effects of sawdust thickness on the growth performance, environmental condition, and welfare quality of yellow broilers

Effects of Fermented Manure Bedding Thickness on Bulls' Growth, Behavior, and Welfare as Well as Barn Gases Concentration in the Barn

Providing clean, comfortable bedding is essential for the growth and welfare of bulls. This study was aimed to investigate the effects of bedding thickness on growth performance, behavior, and welfare of bulls as well as gases concentration in the barn. Thirty-six healthy Simmental bulls (7−9 months old) were randomly divided into three groups and raised on 0 cm (concrete floor, CF), 15 cm (shallow fermented bedding, SFB), and 30 cm (deep fermented bedding, DFB) fermented manure bedding. The results showed that the DFB group exhibited the optimal ADG (average daily gain), F/G (ratio of feed to gain), hoof health, body hygiene, and lying time, followed by the SFB group and the CF group (p < 0.05). As for the barn gas environment, the contents of ammonia and carbon dioxide were the lowest in the DFB group, followed by the SFB group, and they were the highest in the CF group at the same time points (p < 0.01). In summary, fermented manure bedding significantly improves the growth performances, behavior, and welfare of bulls as well as gases concentration, and the improvement effect achieved by deep fermented bedding is more obvious than by shallow fermented bedding.

Comparison of litter quality, performance, and some welfare parameters of broilers reared on the sepiolite-supplemented paper waste sludge

Waste management is the protection of the environment and the health of the population. Paper waste sludge is produced during paper production and sepiolite is a natural clay mineral. The aim of the study was to investigate the usability of sepiolite-added paper waste sludge as a bedding material in the broiler production. Two hundred eighty-eight 1-day old male broiler chicks were divided into the 6 bedding material groups (wood shavings (control), paper waste sludge, sepiolite, mix of 25% paper waste sludge and 75% sepiolite, mix of 50% paper waste sludge and 50% sepiolite, and mix of 75% paper waste sludge and 25% sepiolite) with 6 replicate pens per group. Litter quality, performance, and some welfare parameters of broilers were assessed during the 6 weeks' period. Body weight at 42 days of age and body weight gain from 0 to 42 days of broilers reared on the wood shavings and mix of 50% paper waste sludge and 50% sepiolite were found higher than those of the sepiolite and paper waste sludge groups. Feed consumption and feed to gain ratio from 0 to 42 days, yields of carcass and carcass parts, percentages of organs and abdominal fat, IgG, percentage of bursa Fabricius, burns of foot pad and breast, litter pH and meat properties of broilers reared on the wood shavings, paper waste sludge, and sepiolite litter groups were not found to be statistically different. Litter moisture was found higher in the paper waste sludge group than that in the sepiolite group at the 42 days of rearing. As a conclusion, usage of mix of 50% paper waste sludge and 50% sepiolite as a litter does not have any negative effects on performance, welfare, and litter quality. This result is important in terms of utilizing a waste product.

Alternative Bedding Materials for Poultry: Availability, Efficacy, and Major Constraints

The increasing demand of wood shavings (WS) and sawdust (SD) by other industries and growing concerns of potential chemical contaminants from wood products have amplified research interest in alternative bedding materials for commercial poultry. Several alternative materials-corn cob (CC), straws (ST) and hays (HA), sand (SA), shredded papers (SP), rice hulls (RH), peanut hulls (PH), and gypsum (CaSO4.2H2O2)-can replace conventional ones in poultry houses, depending on availability, cost, and ability to absorb and adsorb moisture and provide the birds enough room to exhibit their natural behaviors. Alternative materials hold a brighter future as bedding materials, but more studies about their physicochemical properties and litter management practices for optimum poultry welfare are recommended.

Selectived and Reshaped Early Dominant Microbial Community in the Cecum With Similar Proportions and Better Homogenization and Species Diversity Due to Organic Acids as AGP Alternatives Mediate Their Effects on Broilers Growth

Understanding the differences in microbial communities shaped by different food selective forces, especially during early post-hatch period, is critical to gain insight into how to select, evaluate, and improve antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) alternatives in food animals. As a model system, commercial diet-administered OAs (DOAs) and water-administered OAs (WOAs) were used separately or in combination as Virginiamycin alternatives for broiler feeding during two growth phases: 1–21 days and 22–42 days. Among these three OA-treated groups, the DOA group was most similar to the AGP group in the composition and the proportion of these dominant bacterial communities at the level of phylum, family, and genus in cecal chyme of broilers. Sub-therapeutic Virginiamycin decreased the richness, homogenization, and species diversity of gut microbiota, especially in the early growth stage from days 1 to 21. Among these three OA supplementation schemes, it was clear that DOA supplementation was more likely to increase or maintain the richness, homogenization, species diversity, and predicted gene functions of cecal microbiota in treated broilers than either no supplementation or AGP supplementation during two experimental stages. The interference of DOA treatment with early colonization of probiotics and pathogens in broiler cecum was the most similar to AGP treatment, and OAs did not cause the occurrence of Virginiamycin-resistant strains of Enterococcus at the end of this trial. In terms of the predicted gene functions of the microbiota, AGP and DOA treatments provided a similar selective force for microbial metabolism functions in the cecum of broiler chickens, especially in the early growth stage. Noticeably, the relative abundance of some microbiome that was modified by Virginiamycin or DOA supplementation was significantly correlated with body weight gain and KEGG pathway analysis-annotated gene functions such as replication and repair, translation, nucleotide metabolism, and so on. With the comprehensive analysis of these results and practical application, shortened DOA supplementation, after optimization of the amount of addition, would be a suitable alternative to sub-therapeutic Virginiamycin. It was suggested that the programed intestinal microecology under such early selection forces and the effective addition time may be the key elements to focus on the designed alternate strategies of AGPs in food animals.

The effect of supplementary ultraviolet wavelengths on broiler chicken welfare indicators

Qualities of the light environment are important for good welfare in a number of species. In chickens, UVA light is visible and may facilitate flock interactions. UVB wavelengths promote endogenous vitamin D synthesis, which could support the rapid skeletal development of broiler chickens. The aim of the study was to investigate the impacts of Ultraviolet wavelengths (UV) on welfare indicators in broiler chickens. Day-old Ross 308 birds reared under commercially representative conditions were randomly assigned to one of three lighting treatments: A) White Light Emitting Diode (LED) and supplementary UVA LED lighting (18-hour photoperiod); B) White LED with supplementary UVA and UVB fluorescent lighting providing 30 micro watts/cm2 UVB at bird level (on for 8 h of the total photoperiod to avoid over-exposure of UVB); C) White LED control group, representative of farm conditions (18-hour photoperiod). Welfare indicators measured were; feather condition (day 24, n = 546), tonic immobility duration (day 29, n = 302), and gait quality, using the Bristol Gait Score (day 31, n = 293). Feather condition was improved in male broilers in the UVA treatment (A), compared to the control treatment (C). Birds in the UVA treatment had shorter tonic immobility durations compared to the control treatment (C), suggesting lower fearfulness. Broilers reared in UVA (A) and UVA + UVB (B) had better Bristol Gait Scores compared to the control (C). Together these results suggest UV may be beneficial for broiler chicken welfare. While treatment A and B both provided UVA, the improvements in welfare indicators were not consistent, which may be due to exposure time-dependent beneficial effects of UVA. The modification of commercial lighting regimes to incorporate UVA wavelengths for indoor-reared broiler chickens would be an achievable change with significant positive impacts on bird welfare.