Effectiveness of Sodium bisulfate and Calcium carbonate litter amendments on the Microbial load of Broiler Built-up Litter

Document Type : Research article

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Department of Veterinary Hygiene and Management, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt 12211

Abstract

In the poultry industry, litter treatment is an effective tool used to control microbial growth, public health risk, and the environmental impact of built-up litter. Our study aimed to compare the efficacy of the two commercial litter amendments, Calcium carbonate and Sodium bisulfate, to reduce the total aerobic (TAC) and total fungal counts (TFC) of dry and wet-caked built-up broiler litters. Litter samples were obtained from 21 and 35 days two broiler houses, then each sample was divided into three sub-groups (500 g/group): control untreated groups, desiccant treated groups (40g Calcium carbonate), and acidifier treated groups (40 g Sodium bisulfate). TAC and TFC and log reduction were determined at zero, 2, and 14 days post-application. Calcium carbonate was highly efficient when applied on the wet litter and achieved a 4.76 log reduction of TAC after 48 h of application. Sodium bisulfate was effective on both litter conditions, with a 3.4 log reduction of total aerobic count in wet litter samples, higher than 2.47 in the dry litter samples after 48 hrs. Both litter amendments showed low efficacy after two weeks of application, as log reduction ranged from 0.50 to 1.86. The efficiency of calcium carbonate and sodium bisulfate on total fungal count was negligible and ranged from 0.00 to 0.10 log reduction. In conclusion, calcium carbonate and sodium bisulfate are efficient litter amendments that can be used as a preventive measure for minimizing bacterial growth in broiler built-up litter with periodical reapplication to maintain good litter quality.

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