Live performance, carcass quality, and deboning yields of broilers reared on sand as a litter source

Live performance, carcass quality, and deboning yields of broilers reared on sand as a litter source were investigated in two consecutive trials. Viability of coccidial oocysts in litter was monitored in Trial 1 by placing 320 seeder birds (20/pen) for 10 days prior to the growout. In addition to live performance, chilled carcass grade, foot pad lesions, deboning yields, and gizzard weights were also determined after processing. No differences were found for litter moisture, litter temperature, mortality, or average body weight, between the two litter treatments. Gizzard yields were significantly lower for birds reared on sand than for birds reared on pine shavings. No significant differences were observed in litter coliforms, aerobic plate counts, molds, or oocyst counts between the two treatments. The results obtained in this study confirm earlier findings that sand can be used as a litter material for rearing broilers.