As litter can represent up to 6% of a chicken’s diet (Malone & Chaloupka, 1983), contaminants (organic chemicals, elemental and biological, as well as physical and management hazards) need to be considered. Concentrations must be below the level that can impact chicken welfare and/or contaminate the meat chicken tissue, and ultimately the human food chain. This can occur through digestion or via adsorption.
Best practice litter management manual for Australian meat chicken farms
- About
- Authors
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations and definitions
- Glossary
- Executive summary
- Introduction
- Impacts of bedding type and litter management
- Key factors in bedding material selection
- Properties of common bedding materials
- Sourcing litter and quality control
- Litter pre-treatment and additives
- Shed heating and cooling to manage litter moisture
- Wet litter management
- Caking and litter conditioning
- Litter pests and diseases
- Litter clean-out
- Litter re-use
- Spent litter utilisation
- Land application of spent litter – composition
- Land application of spent litter – uses and application
- Land application of spent litter – most suitable for land application
- Contaminant hazards – chemicals
- Contaminant hazards – heavy metals
- Contaminant hazards – pathogens
- Restricted uses
- Additional guidance
- Other options to utilise and treat spent litter – energy recover
- Other options to utilise and treat spent litter – composting
- Spent litter utilisation guide
- The role of litter in the Australian chicken meat industry
- Management of common bedding materials
- Troubleshooting guide for litter management
- Example agreement for the removal and use of spent litter from a meat chicken farm
- References
