NL Journal of Veterinary and Animal Nutrition

---

Effect of Different Litter Materials in Deep Litter System on Physiological Responses of Broiler Chickens

Author(s) : Essien Kemfon Friday*, Agwu Ani Ekwe.

---

Abstract

This study evaluated the effect of different litter materials on the physiological responses of broiler chickens reared under a deep litter system, with particular focus on thermal and respiratory indicators of welfare. Five litter types wood shavings, sawdust, rice husk, coconut husk, and Tectona grandis leaves were compared over an eight-week experimental period. Physiological parameters measured at weeks 3, 5, and 8 included breast surface temperature (°C), rectal temperature (°C), panting rate (breaths/min), and respiratory rate (beats/min). Results indicated that differences in breast surface temperature and panting rate among litter treatments were statistically non-significant (P > 0.05) across all weeks, suggesting comparable thermal regulation across materials. However, rectal temperature and respiratory rate at week 3 differed significantly (P < 0.05), with the highest mean observed in birds reared on coconut husk (41.55°C) and the lowest on Tectona grandis leaves (40.86°C). This variation implies that coconut husk may have temporarily elevated internal body temperature, possibly due to its heat retention characteristics, whereas Tectona grandis leaves promoted better thermal dissipation. All tested litter materials supported stable physiological responses however, Tectona grandis leaves demonstrated potential advantages in maintaining lower internal body temperature during early growth under deep litter systems. Keywords: Litter materials, Physiological responses and Broiler chickens.

This article licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License CC-BY 4.0., which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are properly credited.