Effect of bedding materials and stocking density on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and contact dermatitis in broiler chickens

Abstract

Two experiments were conducted to understand the bedding materials and the effects of oil palm frond stems and rice husks to produces on broiler chicken growth performance, carcass characteristics and contact dermatitis. In the first experiment, bedding materials were used as ratio between rice husks and oil palm frond stems that composed with 100% rice husks (T1), 75 %:25% rice husks and oil palm frond stems (T2), 50 %:50 % rice husks and oil palm frond stems (T3), 25 %:75% rice husks and oil palm frond stems (T4) and 100% oil palm frond stems (T5) to determine by broiler reared. From the studied, bedding materials showed associate function to absorb capacity of bedding quality that did not affected a problem on chicken's health. Nevertheless, the result showed the highest and the lowest body weight were in T4 and T2 (P>0.05), respectively. That may conclude T4 could be used successfully reared on broiler production. The second experiment, composed with 3 bedding materials and 2 stocking densities, 100 % oil palm frond stems, 75 %:25% oil palm frond stems and rice husks and 50 %:50% rice husks and oil palm frond stems were reared with 10 and 15 of broiler chicks/m2. The result showed that no interaction between different bedding materials and stocking density on broiler reared (P>0.05). However, stocking density showed significantly affected on bedding quality and growth performance. Stocking density with 10 chicks/m2 found that moisture content, pH, bulk density, ammonia and incidence on footpad dermatitis were lower than 15 chicks/m2 (P<0.05). At the end of experiment chickens that rearing with stocking density of 10 chicks/m2 had greater average final body weight and also had lower FCR than 15 chicks/m2 (P<0.05). In conclusion, the stocking density of 10 chicks/m2 was suitable on chicken rearing and promoted on growth performance better than 15 chicks/m2.