The applicability of particleboard residue as a litter material for male turkeys

Particleboard residue is a by-product of the secondary wood products manufacturing industries. Large quantities of this product are landfilled for lack of better use. The objective of the current study was to investigate the possibility of using particleboard residue as a litter source for male turkeys. Two sizes of particleboard residue, fine and coarse, were compared to hardwood shavings. Compared to hardwood shavings, fine and coarse particleboard was a drier, cleaner product initially, as indicated by lower moisture content as well as bacteria and mold counts at Day 0. Turkeys reared for 123 d on fine particleboard had several advantages over those reared on either the coarse particleboard or hardwood shavings, which included significantly lowered incidences of breast buttons and leg abnormalities. Perhaps due to the jagged edges and coarser texture, coarse particleboard increased the incidence of foot pad dermatitis when compared to the other two litter sources. Turkeys reared on fine particle-board had a 0.16 kg reduction (P < 0.01) in live market body weights compared to the toms reared on hardwood shavings, but this was offset by a 0.22 kg gain in muscle deposition (P < 0.05). Mortality, breast weights and yields, and feed efficiency were unaffected by litter source. Based on the variables studied, it was concluded that fine particleboard residue could be used as an alternative bedding material for male turkeys.