Which is the Best Litter Material to use for Broiler?

Litter is the material used as bedding for poultry in the commercial farming. As cages are most commonly used for layer and breeder farming, litter is the first choice as the bedding material for the broilers. It provides insulation from cold floor and absorbs the feces and leakage from pipelines.

There is a variety of litter material available to use for the broiler and different materials have their own advantages and disadvantages. One may carefully choose the litter material for his/her poultry farm as health of the chicken is directly related to the condition and choice of the litter material. If the litter material is not chosen wisely or managed poorly, it may lead to breast blisters or ammonia burns. The choice for litter material depends upon the environment and the availabilty of the litter material. Here I shall discuss different types of litter materials and why and when should they be used.
The most common categories of the litter material include:


  • Straw
  • Shavings
  • Paper
  • Sand
  • Husk
  • Sugarcane baggase
Wheat straw is a good choice to use as the bedding. Other straw are also used but some of them like barley straw are the least suitable. Straw can be a great choice if it is chopped to absorb maximum water. The problems that may arise while using straw as litter material is the pesticide residues. Also one should check for mould before using it in his/her shed.

Softwood shavings can also be used as bedding for poutry. They have good water absorbing capacity. Residues from chemical treatments, however, may cause skin discoloration of the chicks.

The form of shredded paper that has high water absorbing capacity makes a good litter material. One should avoid using brightly colored paper as residues from printing colors may be harmful to the birds. Management of wet litter paper is difficult.

Sand should be used as litter material in warm climates only because it provides little or no insulation to the floor cold. Birds can not move freely if sand is loosely spread.

The poblem associated with rice husk is that it is very poor water absorbant. So replenish the wet husks frequently with the fresh material if you choose it to use in your shed.

Sugar factories produce a by-product 'sugarcane baggase' which can be used as litter material. It contains 45-55% cellulose and 20-25% hemicellulose. Also, lignin and waxes are present in it.

So what do you think which one is the best material to be used in broiler farm? The simple answer to this question is that it all depends upon the proper management and replenishment of the litter material. So you choose the material that is easily available to you at good price and make it the best by proper management.

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