Evaluation of leaves as a litter material

Area of Science:

• Animal Science
• Agricultural Engineering
• Poultry Science

Background:

• Broiler litter is essential for bird welfare and farm hygiene.
• Sustainable and cost-effective litter materials are continuously sought.
• Pine wood shavings are a common but potentially resource-intensive litter option.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of using leaves as an alternative broiler litter material.
• To compare the performance of broiler chickens raised on leaf litter versus traditional wood shavings.
• To assess the impact of leaf litter on production parameters and carcass quality.

Main Methods:

• Four 49-day trials involving 150 female broiler chickens per trial.
• Experimental groups included pine wood shavings (control), 50% pine wood shavings/50% leaves, and 100% leaves.
• Birds were housed at a density of 1.2 m2 per bird in floor pens.
• Key metrics: live weight, feed conversion, mortality, carcass characteristics, and litter moisture.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in live weight, feed conversion, carcass weight, yield, or mortality between treatments.
• A non-significant trend towards higher mortality on leaf litter was observed.
• Body weight gain was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in broilers on leaf litter.
• Litter moisture levels showed no significant differences across treatments.

Conclusions:

• Leaves, alone or mixed with wood shavings, show potential as an alternative broiler litter material.
• Using leaf litter does not compromise key production or processing parameters at low densities.
• Further research may explore optimizing leaf litter management for broiler production.