The applicability of particleboard residue as a litter material for male turkeys

• Published in: Poultry science 1997-02, Vol.76 (2), p.248-255
• Main Authors: Hester, P Y, Cassens, D L, Bryan, T A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aging; alimentacion ad libitum; alimentation a satiete; Animal Husbandry - methods; Animals; aprovechamiento de desechos; bacteria; Body Weight; cama animales; canal animal; carcasse; carcasses; cell counting; contenido de humedad; contenido de nitrogeno; conteo de celulas; dechet de bois; dermatite; dermatitis; desechos de la madera; dindon; efficacite alimentaire; eficiencia de conversion del pienso; feed conversion efficiency; feed intake; grosseur des particules; Housing, Animal; ingestion de piensos; limbs; litiere pour animaux; litter for animals; Male; meat yield; membre; miembros; moho; moisissure; moisture content; moulds; muscle; muscles; musculos; nitrogen content; numeration cellulaire; panneau de particules; particle boards; particle size; pavo; peso; peso de la canal; poids; poids a l' abattage; prise alimentaire animaux; rendement en viande; rendimiento carnico; slaughter weight; tableros de particulas; tamano de la particula; teneur en azote; teneur en eau; turkeys; Turkeys - growth & development; unrestricted feeding; utilisation des dechets; waste utilization; weight; Weight Gain; Wood; wood residues
• ISSN: 0032-5791; 1525-3171
• DOI: 10.1093/ps/76.2.248

Particleboard residue is a by-product of the secondary wood products manufacturing industries. Large quantities of this product are landfilled for lack of better use. The objective of the current study was to investigate the possibility of using particleboard residue as a litter source for male turkeys. Two sizes of particleboard residue, fine and coarse, were compared to hardwood shavings. Compared to hardwood shavings, fine and coarse particleboard was a drier, cleaner product initially, as indicated by lower moisture content as well as bacteria and mold counts at Day 0. Turkeys reared for 123 d on fine particleboard had several advantages over those reared on either the coarse particleboard or hardwood shavings, which included significantly lowered incidences of breast buttons and leg abnormalities. Perhaps due to the jagged edges and coarser texture, coarse particleboard increased the incidence of foot pad dermatitis when compared to the other two litter sources. Turkeys reared on fine particle-board had a 0.16 kg reduction (P < 0.01) in live market body weights compared to the toms reared on hardwood shavings, but this was offset by a 0.22 kg gain in muscle deposition (P < 0.05). Mortality, breast weights and yields, and feed efficiency were unaffected by litter source. Based on the variables studied, it was concluded that fine particleboard residue could be used as an alternative bedding material for male turkeys.