With our production background, the Jones-Hamilton team understands the daily struggles you face. Our series of technical bulletins addresses some of your key challenges in poultry production and steps you can take to enhance house conditions, improve bird performance and more. Have questions? Find the representative nearest you or call (888) 858-4425 for help with any of our products.
Management practices to assure floor sanitation are often overlooked or, at best, procedures are implemented but not evaluated for effectiveness. The goal of this article is to share the results of two field trials which evaluated salt and sodium bisulfate (PLT®) as dirt pad treatments in a poultry barn that had just been cleaned of litter in an attempt to determine their impact on microbial levels and pH.
Treating litter with an acidifier is a fairly common practice in poultry production, used as a way to control ammonia and maintain a favorable environment for bird welfare. While the benefits of acidification are often discussed, most people don’t often think about what qualifies a chemical as an acid, the different types of acids, and how they work.
Poultry litter is recognized as an excellent source of plant nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) and organic matter. Nitrogen (N) is excreted from birds in the form of uric acid in the manure. Inorganic forms of N such as ammonium nitrate (NH4-N) and nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N) account for roughly 14% of the total litter N. The remaining 86% of the total litter N is in the form of organic N. This paper details research that supports the fact that PLT® use increases litter N content by reducing ammonia volatilization, increasing ammonium nitrogen and forming ammonium sulfate.
Poultry litter consists of bedding, manure and feathers; all of which harbor pathogens. These pathogens survive in litter when temperature,
moisture content and pH conditions are optimal. They then manifest disease in birds and, if undetected, lead to food safety problems for human consumption. By manipulating the conditions of poultry litter, producers may effectively control pathogens impacting bird health and human food safety. Awareness of this approach will help members of the poultry industry to meet the demand for healthy birds raised with less reliance on antibiotic use.
Air quality surveys are a valuable tool that allow integrators to look at trends of air quality in broiler houses, serving as an effective indicator to gauge if litter amendments are being utilized effectively. They also provide a wealth of actionable data that can be used to reduce the impact of ammonia on respiratory health.
With the increasing number of antibiotic free (ABF) broiler facilities, there are a lot of opinions about how to be successful. While there are varying opinions about products that can take the place of antibiotics for improved health and growth promotion, much of the industry is in agreement that without antibiotics the role of house management becomes more crucial for success.
There are many misconceptions about respiratory disease in poultry. All too often vaccine application, chick or poult quality, and a host of other factors are blamed for respiratory disease when the problem is actually caused by a failure to follow the guidelines set in the brooding management program. And since the effects of mismanagement are most evident later in a flock’s life, early management is often overlooked as the source for the flock’s later respiratory disease and performance declines.
Litter serves as the foundation of a flock’s success and careful management is required to ensure a positive impact on a flock’s performance. If proper management isn’t made a top priority, producers will more than likely be battling higher fuel costs and poor performance. Many producers take a reactive approach to litter management, but once litter has been mishandled, it is difficult to correct and in some cases it is more advantageous to clean out and start over with new bedding. That’s why it’s imperative to carefully manage litter from the time a clean out is performed so the new litter can be utilized for many flocks thereafter.
Litter management is an evolving process. Just when we think we’re getting it right, things change. Changes in production, such as different bird sizes, densities and the introduction of more ABF and organic programs, demand a constant review of a litter management program. Without it, producers can easily step back on their litter management effectiveness, which can impact paw quality and overall bird health and welfare.
Once a house has broken with necrotic enteritis (NE), subsequent flocks are at greater risk for recurrent infection due to the spore-forming nature of Clostridium. Like most diseases, necrotic enteritis is easier to prevent than to control, especially in production systems where the use of antibiotics is forbidden.
There are many benefits of lowering the pH (acidification) of poultry house litter. These benefits include ammonia control with significant fuel usage savings, reduced brooding stress, and improved litter management. These benefits are an essential part of a comprehensive preharvest program.
In the face of fuel shortages and high fuel costs, growers often make decisions regarding house preparation and brooding that they would not have made under rosier circumstances. In such events, these decisions can either minimize impact or cause harmful consequences from which the flock tends not to recover.
Fifteen years ago, who would have thought that chicken paws would have become such an important part of the U.S. poultry industry? Today, good paws are integral to a complex’s profitability and are quite often the most profitable part of the chicken. The presence of paw or footpad lesions (pododermatitis or footpad dermatitis) is the number one cause of downgrades of chicken feet. Since there is no market for Grade “B” paws, the presence of footpad lesions can seriously erode a complex’s bottom line.
Gangrenous Dermatitis, a bacterial infection also known as gangrenous cellutitis or wing rot, is a significant problem for broilers and turkeys. However, since dermatitis is often under reported, it is difficult to know its true impact on the industry. Learn what simple management techniques you can follow to better control dermatitis in your poultry houses.
The benefits of using PLT®-litter treatment at chick placement are well documented and widely accepted. However, as time goes on and PLT® is used up ammonia and pH levels can rise. Learn about the benefits of reapplying PLT® in mid-flock.
At Jones-Hamilton Co, we know pH matters. In fact, pH is one of the many factors that influence the homeostasis and stability of a living organism. Read about the effects of pH on poultry litter, air and water in our latest technical paper.
In-house composting, or windrowing, is an alternative to cleanout. However, it requires careful management to prevent problems from reoccurring. Learn about in-house composting best and how PLT® can increase your success.
There are a number of tools available to producers that can help determine ammonia levels in poultry houses. While some cost hundreds of dollars and require frequent calibration, there are a number of low cost, easy to use and relatively accurate options that can be used to determine whether ammonia has reached harmful levels.
It’s likely that ammonia is robbing profits from your houses–even if you can’t smell it. That’s because levels as low as 25 PPM can significant impact bird performance. Read on to learn how to stem ammonia-caused profit loss.
Turkey grown on a PLT®/PWT® program showed increases in weights, feed conversion, and livability. Read on to get the full story.
Effective foodborne pathogen control should begin at the production stage. Learn what scientists have said growers can do to reduce Salmonella and other pathogens.
The Alabama Cooperative Extension System evaluated the use of sodium bisulfate as a litter treatment in poultry houses. Read about their complete findings now.
Birds rely heavily on their sight during daily activities. However, many eye disorders are overlooked. Learn about the most common eye disorders in poultry and the implications they carry.
During winter months, PLT® has been shown to positively impact fuel costs, bird performance, litter pH and ammonia so much that it pays for itself and generates significant revenue. Get the full story.
Ammonia levels are a concern even during warmer months. Learn how using PLT® to eliminate ammonia has been proven to improve bird performance and save on fuel costs.
Producers have come to understand why lowering water pH below 4 is necessary for salmonella control. However, many misconceptions still run rampant about water acidification programs; programs that are becoming increasingly important as the number of antibiotic-free operations rise.
At Jones-Hamilton Co, we know pH matters. In fact, pH is one of the many factors that influence the homeostasis and stability of a living organism. Read about the effects of pH on poultry litter, air and water in our latest technical paper..
Once a house has broken with necrotic enteritis (NE), subsequent flocks are at greater risk for recurrent infection due to the spore-forming nature of Clostridium. Like most diseases, necrotic enteritis is easier to prevent than to control, especially in production systems where the use of antibiotics is forbidden.
Effective foodborne pathogen control should begin at the production stage. Learn what scientists have said growers can do to reduce Salmonella and other pathogens.
SAS® is used in conjunction with chlorine to maximize the antimicrobial properties of chlorinated processing water and chill systems. Read on to see how your facility can benefit.
SAS® gives establishments maximum flexibility in customizing a complete scalder program that best fits their operations without any regulatory usage restrictions. Learn more about how you can leverage SAS®.
Find the answers to your questions about using SAS® in your processing facility.
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Walbridge, OH 43465
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