Animal Science, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia.
Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Duhok, 42003, Kurdistan-Iraq.
Poult Sci. 2017 Jun 1;96(6):1641-1647. doi: 10.3382/ps/pew473.
Broiler chickens are commonly placed on wood shavings as litter, but alternative litter sources are required due to the scarcity of wood shavings in many parts of the world. This study aimed to compare pelleted straw, chopped wheat straw, wood shavings, rice hulls, and shredded paper as litter candidates. Three-hundred-sixty Ross 308 one-day-old male chicks were used in this study. There were 5 litter treatments with 6 replicate pens, each with 12 birds. The feed conversion ratio (FCR) of birds reared on pelleted straw was improved compared (P < 0.05) to that of birds raised on rice hulls, whereas it did not differ for birds placed on wood shavings, rice hulls, chopped straw, or shredded paper. It was observed that the birds reared on wood shavings had higher relative gizzard weight at d 24 compared to those reared on pelleted straw (P < 0.05). Gizzard pH and measured cecal bacterial groups were not affected by the type of bedding material. Cecal bacterial groups measured at d 10 were not affected by bedding material. Birds reared on pelleted wheat straw had a lower incidence of footpad lesions than those on chopped straw and shredded paper on d 24 (P < 0.001) and 29 (P < 0.01). Litter source did not affect the occurrence of breast blisters at d 24, 29, or 35. On d 24, 29, and 35, pelleted straw litter was less caked than chopped straw and shredded paper (P < 0.001) whereas no significant differences were observed among pelleted straw, wood shavings, and rice hulls. The study demonstrated the potential benefits to using pelleted wheat straw as a bedding material. Further assessment of pelleting of wheat straw and other materials on broiler health, performance, and welfare are needed to determine the economic benefits of pelleted litter.
肉鸡通常被放置在木屑作为垫料，但由于世界许多地区木屑短缺，需要寻找替代垫料来源。本研究旨在比较颗粒状秸秆、切碎的小麦秸秆、木屑、稻壳和碎纸作为垫料候选物。本研究使用了 360 只罗斯 308 日龄雄性小鸡。有 5 种垫料处理，每个处理有 6 个重复笼，每个笼有 12 只鸡。与饲养在稻壳上的鸡相比，饲养在颗粒状秸秆上的鸡的饲料转化率（FCR）得到了改善（P < 0.05），而饲养在木屑、稻壳、切碎的秸秆或碎纸上的鸡的 FCR 没有差异。研究发现，与饲养在颗粒状秸秆上的鸡相比，饲养在木屑上的鸡在第 24 天的相对肌胃重量更高（P < 0.05）。垫料类型对肌胃 pH 和测定的盲肠细菌群没有影响。在第 10 天，垫料材料不影响盲肠细菌群。与切碎的秸秆和碎纸相比，饲养在颗粒状小麦秸秆上的鸡在第 24 天（P < 0.001）和 29 天（P < 0.01）时脚垫病变的发生率更低。垫料来源不影响第 24、29 或 35 天的胸部水泡的发生。在第 24、29 和 35 天，颗粒状秸秆垫料的结块程度低于切碎的秸秆和碎纸（P < 0.001），而颗粒状秸秆、木屑和稻壳之间没有显著差异。研究表明，使用颗粒状小麦秸秆作为垫料具有潜在的好处。需要进一步评估小麦秸秆和其他材料的颗粒化对肉鸡健康、性能和福利的影响，以确定颗粒状垫料的经济效益。
