Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 3 Western Australia, Series 3
Volume 3
Number 1 January-February, 1955 Article 18
1-1954
Deep litter for poultry- part 1 Deep litter for poultry- part 1
L J. Gaffney
Department of Agriculture
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Recommended Citation Recommended Citation
Gaffney, L J. (1954) "Deep litter for poultry- part 1," Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 3: Vol. 3: No. 1, Article 18.
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Fig. 2.—Deep litter with portion removed to show the depth of the layer (In this case between 10 and 11 Inches). A good deep litter should be dry and friable
throughout Its entire depth
on deep litter showed remarkably in- creased growth r a t e s because the diet was supplemented by t h e growth-promoting vitamin Bi2 contained in t h e litter. When chickens were fed a diet containing ade- quate levels of a n i m a l protein, they did not respond in t h e same way to the deep litter because t h e vitamin B,2 was being supplied in the a n i m a l protein. Thus the term a n i m a l protein factor (or A.P.F.) was evolved to denote a complex of factors which are contained in animal protein but which are lacking in vegetable pro- tein, a n d of which vitamin B,2 is the best known a n d of foremost importance in poultry n u t r i t i o n .
HYGIENE
T h e aspect of deep litter in relation to poultry hygiene h a s evoked considerable investigational work b u t most of the find- ings on t h e m a t t e r h a v e been inconclu- sive. However, practical experience has proved t h a t the proper use of deep litter presents n o greater disease hazard t h a n methods h i t h e r t o practised a n d it can be claimed t h a t a good deep litter is less perilous from a disease aspect t h a n the soil of poultry r u n s . T h e deep litter sys- tem h a s been primarily responsible for the successful housing of laying birds in- tensively on a commercial scale.
T h e importance of m a i n t a i n i n g the body of l i t t e r i n a dry condition cannot be over-stresed a n d t h e dryness of the medium largely accounts for its sanitary
properties. It h a s been postulated t h a t in a properly kept litter, a population of favourable micro-organisms is m a i n t a i n - ed r a t h e r t h a n a populace of disease organisms. A friable a n d well-aerated litter encourages t h e favourable bacteria which present strong opposition to the u n - favourable ones. There is reason to be- lieve t h a t ammonia and other disinfecting materials contained in the litter tend to suppress any sudden build-up of micro- organism activity. Whatever the reason may be,.there is little doubt t h a t a p r o - perly kept deep litter presents a suitably hygienic environment to poultry.
MANURIAL VALUE
The manurial value of deep litter holds particular interest to those farmers who wish to obtain full value for this poultry by-product. Under the deep litter sys- tem, a poultry farmer handles a consider- able bulk of organic material. Apart from the fertiliser requirements of his own green-feed plot and vegetable garden, most of this material is sold for h o r t i - cultural use a n d it is keenly sought after by m a r k e t gardeners, orchardists, vig- nerons, a n d graziers. Besides contain- ing good levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, a n d calcium, a n d a wide variety of other elements, it supplies large quantities of organic material to the soil.
It is, therefore, particularly useful as a general fertiliser in building up the fer- tility of soils deficient in organic m a t t e r and lacking many of the elements neces- sary for plant growth.
THE DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGE- MENT OF DEEP LITTER
The term "deep litter" was originally applied when a good depth of litter material was used in the initial develop- ment. Built-up litter, on the other h a n d , is produced by commencing with only a shallow layer of material and adding fresh material to this whenever the capacity to absorb moisture diminishes. The method adopted locally is to commence with a layer of dry sawdust or shavings lin. to 2in. deep and this, incorporated with t h e droppings, is left to accumulate for 12 months, when it is removed. With this method, difficulty is usually encountered in maintaining the litter in a dry a n d friable condition during the winter
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Journal of agriculture Vol. 3 1954
Pig. 3.—Cleanlng-out operations have commenced In this large Intensive shed. All the deep litter will be removed and sold, the perches and woodwork near the floor sprayed with creosote, the cement floor dis- infected with 2% caustic soda solution and liberally sprinkled with hydrated lime prior to adding 2in. of
clean, dry litter material
months. Despite vigorous efforts on the part of the farmer to keep the litter well- worked, the excessive amount of moisture promotes surface caking and the birds are unable to scratch in the litter and the whole body tends to pack. Before this condition arises, it is a sound practice to add one inch of clean litter material on top of the old litter. This provides a fresh layer of moisture-absorbing material which, in turn, is gradually transformed by the process of decomposition. One or two further applications of clean material will usually be found necessary during the winter months, and at the end of 12 months a substantial depth of litter is built up. When the depth becomes ex- cessive, all or p a r t of the old Utter c a n be removed and fresh litter added. It is best to commence the build-up of litter dur- ing the summer m o n t h s when the dry atmosphere promotes the evaporation of moisture.
ADDITION OF HYDRATED LIME In t h e initial development of deep lit- ter, several applications of hydrated lime are atirred-in with the litter material.
A thin coating of hydrated lime placed on the cement floor assists in preventing the litter from caking on t h e surface of the floor, where a certain amount of d a m p - ness usually occurs. Liming promotes decomposition and should be carried out
89
whenever fresh litter material is added.
As a guide, a total of 2 lb. of hydrated lime per 10 sq. ft. can be applied over three or more dressings during the first three months. Thereafter, further liming may not contribute very much towards keeping the litter dry, but usually a light application is made whenever the litter is turned over, as this assists in keeping it in a friable state. If the farmer uses the litter for fertilising his own land, i t is a good scheme to occasionally apply a superphosphate dressing r a t h e r t h a n hydrated lime. Experiments conducted in U.S.A. indicate t h a t the addition of superphosphate reduces the escape of ammonia and thus the nitrogen content of the litter is retained, making it more valuable as a fertiliser.
CAUSES OF DAMP LITTER Damp litter can present a serious h a z - ard to poultry. Apart from t h e disease element, harmful and obnoxious fumes are evolved when the litter becomes damp. During wet weather it is often difficult to maintain the- litter in a dry condition, and this depends largely on t h e construction of the poultry house. Driv- ing rain, spillage from water vessels, i n - sufficient ventilation and overcrowding are the most common causes of the litter being damp and difficult to work. The farmer should look to these possible causes and rectify them even if it means modifying the structure of the shed.
(To be continued.)
Fig. 4.—Several tons of deep litter are developed over 12 months and this market gardener had little diffi- culty in obtaining a truck-load. Where poultry are run in conjunction with horticulture the deep litter from the poultry sheds Is of considerable value to the
farmer
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