Kenaf for Broiler Litter
J.D. Brake, M.J. Fuller, C.R. Boyle,
D.E. Link, E.D. Peebles, and M.A. Latour
Pine shavings and sawdust (PS) are probably the most popular
broiler litter materials in use. It is considered the benchmark
by which all other prospective litter materials are compared.
However, the growing scarcity of pine byproducts because of their
use in particle board manufacture necessitates the search for alternative
litter materials.
Some byproducts that are suitable as litter materials are not
always economically available to the poultry industry because of
transportation costs. Therefore, kenaf presents the opportunity
for poultry producers to raise their own litter in their
"backyard." Two successive broiler growout trials were conducted
to evaluate PS, kenaf core (KC), and whole chopped kenaf (WCK).
The KC was the spongy center portion of the kenaf plant. This
material contained very little of the fibrous bark material. The
WCK was the whole kenaf plant that had been cut and processed
through a silage chopper.
In Trial 1, each litter material was placed into 12 experimental
broiler growout pens at a depth of approximately 10 cm (4
inches). Broilers were reared to 42 days of age according to
industry standards. Litter samples were taken at 1, 21, and 42
days during growout to evaluate litter moisture, nitrogen, pH,
and ash content. Body weight and feed conversion were determined
for all broilers at 42 days of age. Carcass grade was determined
at 43 days of age during processing. Litter caking was scored
after all broilers were processed.
As expected, litter moisture (M), nitrogen (N), pH, and ash
content increased in all litter materials during Trial 1. This
was due mainly to the accumulation of manure as the broilers
grew. The PS exhibited lower moisture, nitrogen, pH, and ash
contents throughout Trial 1 than did the kenaf products. The PS
was approximately twice as dense as the kenaf products.
Therefore, the differences observed in the chemistry of the
litter material throughout Trial 1 were probably due to a weight
dilution effect.
Litter caking mirrored these results. The PS exhibited
significantly less caking then the kenaf products. The WCK
exhibited the worst caking because of the fibrous bark, which
acted to form a mat with manure. This characteristic was undesirable.
However, the differences that we noted in the
physical and chemical properties of the litter materials did not
significantly influence broiler body weight, feed conversion, or
carcass grade.
All litter was turned and mixed prior to Trial 2 in an effort to
break up the cake that formed in Trial 1. The pens containing KC
and WCK were topdressed in an attempt to attain equivalent litter
weights in each pen. All other procedures were conducted as in
Trial 1. The chemical differences between litter materials that were
noted in Trial 1 were not as evident in Trial
2. However, WCK still exhibited the highest caking values at the
end of the trial. Broiler body weight, feed conversion, and
carcass grade were not affected by litter type.
In conclusion, the chemical differences between litter materials
in Trial 1 were due to the dilution effect of the denser PS.
When litter weights were equilibrated in Trial 2, the differences
were not as apparent. Broiler performance was not affected by
litter material in either trial. However, the caking that occurred in the
WCK pens was a major concern. The form in which WCK was used in these
trials caused several handling problems. These characteristics make WCK
undesirable for use in an industry setting.
If a process for onfarm kenaf harvesting could be perfected
where bark and core could be separated, poultry farmers could
foreseeably grow their own litter material and produce a sellable
fiber. Considering the size and density of the poultry industry,
the fiber could be produced in quantities that may justify a fiber market
in poultry producing areas.
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J.D. Brake, former Assistant Professor of Poultry Science, is now a faculty member at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg; M. J. Fuller is Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics; C.R. Boyle is Assistant Professor, College of Veterinary Medicine; D.E. Link and M. A. Latour are Graduate Research Assistants and E.D.
Peebles is Associate Professor, Department of Poultry Science.