Efficacy of a Litter Amendment to Reduce Pododermatitis in Broiler Chickens

Broiler house environment, especially volatile NH₃ content, has a significant effect on pododermatitis in chickens. The efficacy of NaHSO₄ in reducing pododermatitis in broiler chickens was investigated in this study. A total of 960 straight-run 1-d-old chicks were randomly assigned to 16 environmental chambers with 4 different levels of NaHSO₄ (4 chambers/treatment). The treatments (TRT) comprised of TRT 1 (control), TRT 2 with NaHSO₄ applied at 1 × rate (0.22 kg/m²) on the day of placement of chicks, TRT 3 with NaHSO₄ applied at 2 × rate on the day of placement of chicks, and TRT 4 with NaHSO₄ applied at 1 × rate on the day of placement of chicks and at 1 × rate on 21 d. Birds were raised to 49 d of age on a 4-stage feeding program with diets formulated to contain high protein levels and all-vegetable ingredients. At 35 d of age, the litter was moistened artificially to see the effect of NaHSO₄ on NH₃ volatilization. In addition to assessing live performance, feet were scored on 42 and 49 d of age for incidence and severity of pododermatitis. Ammonia concentration (ppm) in the chambers was measured before placement of chicks and on a weekly basis throughout the experiment. No differences in live performance of the birds were observed throughout the study (P > 0.05). Sex had significant effects on incidence of pododermatitis (P < 0.05), with females showing higher incidence of pododermatitis than males. The NaHSO₄ had a significant effect on NH₃ volatilization in the chambers (P < 0.05). Ammonia concentration was significantly reduced in all TRT except the control (TRT 1). Sodium bisulfate had no significant effect on NH₃ levels after 35 d upon addition of moisture to the litter. Although not significant (P > 0.05), using NaHSO₄ as a litter amendment numerically reduced the incidence of pododermatitis by 10 or more percentage points.