Efficacy of a Litter Amendment to Reduce

©2007 Poultry Science Association, Inc.

Efficacy of a Litter Amendment to Reduce Pododermatitis in Broiler Chickens1 M. Nagaraj, C. A. P. Wilson, B. Saenmahayak, J. B. Hess, and S. F. Bilgili2 Department of Poultry Science, Auburn University, AL 36849

Primary Audience: Broiler Production Managers, Nutritionists, Plant Quality Control SUMMARY Broiler house environment, especially volatile NH3 content, has a significant effect on pododermatitis in chickens. The efficacy of NaHSO4 in reducing pododermatitis in broiler chickens was investigated in this study. A total of 960 straight-run 1-d-old chicks were randomly assigned to 16 environmental chambers with 4 different levels of NaHSO4 (4 chambers/treatment). The treatments (TRT) comprised of TRT 1 (control), TRT 2 with NaHSO4 applied at 1× rate (0.22 kg/ m2) on the day of placement of chicks, TRT 3 with NaHSO4 applied at 2× rate on the day of placement of chicks, and TRT 4 with NaHSO4 applied at 1× rate on the day of placement of chicks and at 1× rate on 21 d. Birds were raised to 49 d of age on a 4-stage feeding program with diets formulated to contain high protein levels and all-vegetable ingredients. At 35 d of age, the litter was moistened artificially to see the effect of NaHSO4 on NH3 volatilization. In addition to assessing live performance, feet were scored on 42 and 49 d of age for incidence and severity of pododermatitis. Ammonia concentration (ppm) in the chambers was measured before placement of chicks and on a weekly basis throughout the experiment. No differences in live performance of the birds were observed throughout the study (P > 0.05). Sex had significant effects on incidence of pododermatitis (P < 0.05), with females showing higher incidence of pododermatitis than males. The NaHSO4 had a significant effect on NH3 volatilization in the chambers (P < 0.05). Ammonia concentration was significantly reduced in all TRT except the control (TRT 1). Sodium bisulfate had no significant effect on NH3 levels after 35 d upon addition of moisture to the litter. Although not significant (P > 0.05), using NaHSO4 as a litter amendment numerically reduced the incidence of pododermatitis by 10 or more percentage points. Key words: broiler, chicken feet quality, ammonia, pododermatitis, litter amendment 2007 J. Appl. Poult. Res. 16:255–261

DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM The economics of efficient, low-cost broiler production dictate concentrated and confined broiler production systems with birds raised in large environmentally controlled houses under uniform management practices. The broiler house environment is a reflection of the overall

efficiency of the growout operation. House design [1, 2] and environmental control [1, 3], ventilation [4, 5], feeder and drinker management [1, 6, 7], flock health [8, 9], stocking density [10, 11, 12], litter quality [7, 13], and husbandry are important factors in the maintenance of a good production environment. Because birds spend most of their lifetime in close contact

1

Mention of trade names or commercial products in this publication does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the authors. 2 Corresponding author: [email protected]

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256 Table 1. Composition of high-protein and all-vegetable diets1

Feeding stage Item CP (%) ME (kcal/kg) Ca (%) Available P (%) Lys (%) Met (%) Met + Cystine (%) K (%) Na (%) Vitamin premix2 Trace mineral premix3 DL-Met L-Lys Coccidiostat4 Antibiotic5

Starter

Grower

Finisher

Withdrawal

24.7 3,096 1.08 0.52 1.38 56 0.95 1.1 0.2 0.25 0.25 0.2 0.04 0.08 0.05

22.4 3,117 1.06 0.50 1.18 0.55 0.88 0.97 0.2 0.25 0.25 0.2 — 0.08 0.05

20.2 3,149 0.92 0.47 1 0.57 0.86 0.86 0.2 0.25 0.25 0.25 — 0.08 0.05

19.6 3,186 0.70 0.45 0.9 0.45 0.75 0.86 0.23 0.1 0.1 0.16 0.01 — —

1

Starter diet placed: 0 to 17 d of age; grower diet placed: 18 to 30 d of age; finisher diet placed: 31 to 41 d of age; withdrawal diet placed: 42 to 48 d of age. 2 Vitamin premix supplied the following per kilogram of diet: vitamin A, 16,183 IU; vitamin D3, 4,851 IU; vitamin E, 16.6 IU; vitamin B12, 0.04 mg; riboflavin, 12 mg; biotin, 0.05 mg; niacin, 80 mg; pantothenic acid, 29 mg; choline, 1,102 mg; menadione, 4.8 mg; folic acid, 1.1 mg; pyridoxine, 4.4 mg; and thiamine, 2.2 mg. 3 Trace mineral premix supplied the following per kilogram of diet: Mn, 143 mg; Zn, 121 mg; Fe, 13 mg; Cu, 13 mg; I, 2.2 mg; and Se, 0.7 mg. 4 Monensin Na premix, Coban 60 (Elanco Animal Health, Indianapolis, IN). 5 Starter and grower periods: bacitracin methyl salicylate, BMD-50 (Alpharma Inc., Fort Lee, NJ); finisher period: virginiamycin, Stafac-20 (Phibro Animal Health, Fairfield, NJ).

with the bedding material, litter quality has a major effect on health and performance of a bird. It is a common practice to raise multiple flocks on used litter in the United States. However, wet and sticky litter conditions resulting from intestinal disorders such as diarrhea or feed-passage, high pH, and excessive NH3 production negatively affect litter quality. Poor drinker management practices, low air temperature, and high RH result in many cases of wet litter [6, 14, 15]. Moisture levels in litter exceeding 35% have negative effects on bird health, often resulting in conditions such as pododermatitis [16, 17, 18, 19, 20], folliculitis, and necrotic enteritis [21]. Moisture also increases the rate of production of NH3 and potentially other irritant substances [17, 22]. Ammonia is produced as a result of microbial activity on uric acid. Wet litter conditions and high pH act like a catalyst in this process. The formed NH3 remains at an equilibrium between the uncharged NH3 and the charged ammonium ion (NH4+) at neutral pH. But as the litter pH increases (above 8), there is a shift in this equilibrium, resulting in production of higher levels of NH3 [23]. Levels of NH3

as low as 10 ppm can impair performance [24] and immunity of a bird and increase susceptibility to respiratory infections [24, 25, 26, 27]. Higher levels of NH3 released from litter cause severe irritation to the respiratory tract and skin of birds, resulting in pododermatitis, hock burns, and breast blisters [28]. Hence, litter amendments are suggested to improve litter conditions and keep NH3 levels in check [23, 29, 30, 31]. Many litter additives such as propionic acid [32], monobasic Ca phosphate and H3PO4 [33], FeSO4 [34, 35], AlCl3 [35], KMnO4 [35], alum [35, 36], clay [37], and NaHSO4 (poultry litter treatment) [31, 38] have been used successfully to reduce litter pH, reduce NH3 volatilization, and inhibit microbial activity. Sodium bisulfate, a dry anhydrous crystalline acidifier, is used widely by the broiler industry to control NH3 [38]. It is readily soluble in water, and a 5% aqueous solution has a pH 0.05; Table 2). This was not consistent with the findings of other investigators who observed better live weight gain at 23 and 49 d of age with the use of NaHSO4 [40, 50, 51]. The use of high nutrient density diets in this study may have masked the beneficial effects of NaHSO4 on live performance. Table 3 summarizes the data on litter moisture for the study period. There were no significant (P > 0.05) differences in litter moisture content among the different TRT. Further, the low stocking density followed in this study, the use of nipple drinkers, and effective ventilation for aeration of the chambers may have helped to maintain a drier litter, preventing the development of wet litter conditions. At the beginning of the experiment, the NH3 levels in the chambers were fairly low (3 to 5 ppm) on used litter (Figure 1) and remained low through 35 d of age, with all 3 NaHSO4 TRT

Figure 1. Influence of NaHSO4 on NH3 levels (ppm) in chambers on a weekly basis. Treatment (TRT) 1 = control with no litter amendment; TRT 2 = litter amendment applied at a rate of 0.02 kg/ft2 at the day of placement of chicks; TRT 3 = litter amendment applied at a rate of 0.04 kg/ft2 at the day of placement of chicks; TRT 4 = litter amendment applied at a rate of 0.02 kg/ft2 at the day of placement of chicks and again at 21 d of age. *P < 0.05.

showing significantly (P < 0.05) lower NH3 levels than the control. Addition of moisture to the litter at 35 d of age caused NH3 levels to increase significantly (20 to 28 ppm). There were no differences in NH3 levels within different rates of NaHSO4 application after 35 d of age. The depression in NH3 volatilization by NaHSO4 depends on age and moisture of the litter material used. It is surmised that low levels of litter moisture also suppressed the hygroscopic effect of NaHSO4. Further, variability in ventilation rates could also have affected NH3 levels in the chambers. It is clear from this study that wet litter conditions hasten the process of NH3 release from litter. Further investigation is required about the solubility of NaHSO4 and the amount of moisture needed for its dissolution to be effective in trapping volatile NH3. Table 4 summarizes the pododermatitis incidence at 42 and 49 d of age. There were no significant (P > 0.05) effects due to the NaHSO4 TRT. However, there was a numerical trend of decreasing incidence and severity of pododermatitis with the use of NaHSO4. This finding suggests that other factors in the litter may also play a role in the etiology of pododermatitis apart from NH3. Mayne et al. [20] also reported no direct correlation between NH3 concentration in houses and the incidence of pododermatitis in turkeys and further suggested research into the role of unknown compounds in different litter materials in the causation of pododermatitis in broilers and turkeys. It is also possible that low


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Table 4. Influence of NaHSO4 on footpad lesions1 (%) 42 d of age Item Treatment 1 2 3 4 SEM Sex Female Male SEM

2

49 d of age

None

Mild

Severe

None

Mild

Severe

NS 33 41 47 50 6.9

NS 42 40 36 36 3.6

NS 24 19 18 14 3.8

NS 50 57 60 60 7.2

NS 35 28 33 31 3.9

NS 15 15 8 10 4.0

* 40 46 2.1

** 43 34 2.0

NS 18 20 1.4

* 52 61 2.3

** 37 26 2.0

NS 10 13 1.6

No interactions were significant (P > 0.05). Treatment (TRT) 1 = control with no litter amendment; TRT 2 = litter amendment applied at a rate of 0.02 kg/ft2 at the day of placement of chicks; TRT 3 = litter amendment applied at a rate of 0.04 kg/ft2 at the day of placement of chicks; TRT 4 = litter amendment applied at a rate of 0.02 kg/ft2 at the day of placement of chicks and again at 21 d of age. *P < 0.05; **P < 0.01. 1 2

levels of NH3 as observed in this study in contrast to commercial growout operations may not cause irritability to skin and cause lesions in the footpad. Although not severe, other effects of volatile NH3, like respiratory discomfort and labored breathing, were observed in some birds by 42 d of age. Sex had a significant effect on incidence of pododermatitis (P < 0.05), with females showing higher incidence of pododermatitis than males. This finding is in contrast to earlier research, which indicated higher incidence of pododermatitis in males [42, 52, 53]. Higher incidence of lesions in female birds indicates that both the sexes are susceptible to pododermatitis and that it is not just a problem in males. Female broiler skin, having less skin protein and collagen matrix than male broilers, has also been reported as a predisposing factor to skin injury and ulceration. However, males had a higher proportion of severe lesions compared with females. The reduction in NH3 levels in our study was comparable with the findings of other researchers bearing the effectiveness of NaHSO4 as a litter additive [39, 49]. Although not sig-

nificant (P > 0.05), using NaHSO4 as a litter amendment appeared to reduce the incidence and severity of pododermatitis. A small number of sampling units (i.e., 4 chambers/TRT) and possible influence of variable ventilation rates between chambers and the use of nipple drinkers may have reduced the sensitivity of the study. Previous studies suggest a relationship between litter NH3-N and the incidence of pododermatitis [42, 54]. Hence, additional studies with many flocks may be warranted to assess the relationship of litter NH3-N, volatile NH3, and litter moisture in reference to pododermatitis incidence and severity. The extent of pododermatitis prevalence is used to assess the animal welfare conditions and may be used as an indicator of the overall litter quality as well [2, 55, 56, 57]. The above findings suggest that the incidence and severity of pododermatitis may be affected by factors other than feed ingredients, litter moisture, and volatile NH3. Further research is necessary to understand the interactions among those factors for the development of an effective control program for pododermatitis in broiler flocks.

CONCLUSIONS AND APPLICATIONS 1. Sodium bisulfate as a litter amendment had no significant effect on live performance and mortality of birds. 2. Wet litter conditions increased volatilization of NH3 from the litter. Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/japr/article-abstract/16/2/255/751716/Efficacy-of-a-Litter-Amendment-to-Reduce by guest on 13 September 2017

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3. Use of NaHSO4 as a litter amendment significantly reduced volatile NH3 levels in the chambers through 35 d of age. 4. The incidence of pododermatitis appeared to improve numerically (although not statistically) with the use of NaHSO4. 5. Litter amendments, such as NaHSO4, may be a component of a litter management program to control pododermatitis in broiler chickens.

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42. Nagaraj, M., F. Biguzzi, J. B. Hess, and S. F. Bilgili. 2006. Paw burns in broiler chickens are negatively affected by high protein and all vegetable diets. Poult. Sci. 85(Suppl.1):169–170. (Abstr.) 43. There were 60 birds of either sex/pen and 4 replicate chambers/each TRT. The environmentally controlled chambers were 8 × 8 ft in dimension (256 ft2/TRT) with a final stocking density of 0.94 ft2/bird. Each chamber was furnished with a force draft electric heater, and the ventilation rate could be individually controlled. 44. Dra¨ger chip measurement system analyzer and chips for NH3 gas measurement, Dra¨ger Safety AG and Co. KGaA, Luebeck, Germany. 45. The direct-reading Dra¨ger chip measurement system uses chemical-specific chips and an electronic analyzer for precise measurements of NH3 gas and vapors, and the reading appears on a liquid crystal display screen. The chips used in this experiment ranged from 0.2 to 5, 2 to 50, and 10 to 150 ppm, depending upon the NH3 concentrations in the chambers. The NH3 meter was hand-held at about 1 ft from the litter in the center of the chamber for measuring NH3. 46. Water (3.75 L) was evenly sprayed on the litter in each chamber at d 35. 47. The scoring system followed was a 3-point score in which the footpad lesions were assigned to 1 of 3 values: 0 = footpads with no lesions, dermal ridges intact within a central, with or without discoloration; 1 = footpads with mild lesions, dermal ridges not intact within a central, round to oval ulcer on the central plantar footpad surface, roughened lesion surface with small tag of crust