Litter Treatment Using Zeolite as a Management Protocol to Enhance Broiler Performance and Control Ammonia Emission in Broiler Production in the Humid Tropics of Nigeria

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Abstract A 9-week study was conducted to evaluate the effect of using zeolite as a litter management protocol to enhance broiler performance and control ammonia emission from litter. A total of 140 broiler birds (arbor acre) were used for the study. After brooding them together for 2 weeks as a way of stabilizing them, they were randomly assigned to 4 treatment groups labeled A-D in a completely randomized experimental design and each treatment was replicated 5 times with 7 birds per replicate. Treat2ment of the litter were as follows: treatment A litter (control) had no zeolite treatment, B (200g zeolite kg−3 litter), C (400g zeolite kg−3 litter), and D (600g zeolite kg−3litter).The experiment was divided into two phase. Starter phahse which lasted for 3weeks and finisher phase lasted for 4 weeks. Feed and water were provided ad libitum Results showed significant differences (P<0.05) in the birds’ values for total feed intake, average daily feed intake, total beyody weight, average daily weight gain, final body weight and feed conversion ratio in both phases in favor of treatment groups. The litter chemical analysis showed significant differences (P<0.05) in the bird’s mean values for mo5isture, uric acid, pH, phosphorous, ammonium nitrate, total volatile fatty acid, ammonium sulfate, ammonia, nitrogen, and ash among the study groups in both phases. Difference in litter microbial load values among the treatments were also significant (P<0.05). In conclusion, litter treatment using zeolite as a management protocol to enhance broiler performance and control ammonia emission was able to enhance performance of the birds by exerting diminutive effect on the precursors and microbial activities that are involve in ammonia production from the litter. It is therefore recommended that farmers can adopt this litter management protocol to reduce ammonia emissions in broiler houses without negatively affecting the growth of the birds.

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