Footpad dermatitis (FPD) is a
condition affecting broilers and turkeys and is also known as pododermatitis
and paw burn, all of which refer to a type of contact dermatitis on the footpad
and toes.
Before the mid 1980, chicken paws
were of little value and were rendered with feathers, blood and other unslable
portions. Chicken paws prices have skyrocketed because of an export demand for
high quality paws, transforming this product into the third most important
economic part, behind breasts and wings.
However, paws are downgradeed or
condemned for a variety of reasons that include a condemned carcasses, plant
machinery mutilations or FPD lesion. Roughly 99% of condemned paws are a result
of FPD lesions. Not only is FPD a revenue loss, it is currently being used as
an indicator of bird welfare in animal welfare audits. Improving foot health
not only provides opportunity for increased profit from exportable chicken
paws, but also ensures that the poultry industry continues to meet animal
welfare standards.
Litter moisture
Recent work at the University of
Georgia, USA, focuses on environmental factors-the relationship between litter
moisture and depth and paw quality. Unfortunately, previous research has
contradicting results. Some research has shown that paw quality is better with
deeper litter and others have shown it is best with shallow depths. In this
study, as litter depth increased, moisture decreased dan paw quality improved.
Wet litter can cause ulceration
of broiler foot pads. Lesions have beed found to be more severe as litter
moisture increases. Continuosly standing on wet litter causes the footpad to
soften and become more prone damage, predisposing the bird to developing FPD.
Drying out the litter and moving birds from wer litter to dry litter has been
shown to reverse the severity of FPD.
Litter Management
Litter play as important role in
moisture management. It acts as a sponge, absorbing moisture and allowing for
the dilution of fecal material. Thicker bases of litter allow water retention
and dissipation away from the surface where it comes into contact with birds.
Litter must not only be able ti absorb lots of moisture, but should also have a
reasonable drying time to get rid of that moisture.
Bedding material has become more
expensive and, as a result, there are situations where inadequate amounts of
shavings are placed in broiler houses. Litter sometimes may be spread unevenly
throughout the house, being thicker in the middle than along the sides. Evenly
spread out litter is critical to prevent ‘slicking over’ of the litter along
the sidewalls. Ultimately the bedding material used depends on cost and
availability. Regardless of the source of bedding, when possible use materials
with smaller particle sizes, as they have been shown to produce better paws.
Litter management between flocks
If broiler houses are cleaned out
between flocs, at least three to four inches of litter is need to handle the
moisture. If on a bulit-up litter program, it is important to remove the caked
litter to allow the litter base to dry before chicks are placed. Running fans
during the day will remove moisture from the litter more rapidly.
Several methods are use to manage
litter between flocks, such as tiling, removing cake and top-dressing and
windrowing. Six commercial 40x500-foot broiler houses were used to evaluate how
litter management in between flocks would influence the incidence of FPD. The
three litter methods use were cake removal, complete cleanout and windrowing.
Each treatment was applied to two houses. The result indicated tha the
windrowed houses produced more Grade A and B paws in the processing plant than
did caked and cleaned-out houses.
Drinker Management
Proper drinker line management
according to manufacturer’s guidelines can prevent excessive moisture form
being added to the litter. Drinkers that are too low or have the water pressure
set too high tend to result in wetter floors. Water lines that may have a
biofilm or other particulates can serusl in leaky nipples, which will also
increase litter moisture. Regular flushing and sanitizing the drinker system
will reduce water leakage. This will keep litter dried and improve its quality,
subsequently resulting in better paw quality.
Managing the moisture undeneath
the water and feed lines is essential because the birds spend the majority of
their time in this area. Keeping litter dry in this area can reduce problems
not only from FPD but also form hock and breast burns.
Ventilation
If relative humidity (RH) is not
currently being monitored in broiler houses, it should be used as a house
management tool. A main objective of minimum ventilation is to control house
moisture, with the goal being to keep the RH between 50% and 70%.
More incidences of FPD and hock
lesions have been observed in clod weather compared to warm weather and have a
high correlation with relative humidity in the broiler house. These seasonal
effects are related to the increased relative humidity in broiler houses that
are because of reduced ventilation during cold weather. Circulation fans and
attic inlets have been proven to promote dry floors in cold weather.
Bird density
The sudden onset of wet litter
associated with higher bird densities in one area of a house compared to
another is considered to have a large influence on the development of FPD.
Litter conditions deteriorate as moisture increases with increased stocking
density. As stocking density increases, water consumption per bird increases.
As bird drink more water, their
feces become watery and contributes to overall litter moisture. One way to
combat this is to properly use migration fences, even in cold weather months.
Migration fences put in place after birds are released to the entire house from
partial house brooding will ensure they are evenly spaced out, allowing for
better litter management and temperature regulation.
One simple, cost effective way to
monitor bird density is to add additional water meters. Water meters for the
fron, middle and back of the house can indicate bird densities by simply
looking at daily water consumption. Higher consumption in one end of the house
means that there are more birds than in the other sections.
Make sure to have a dry litter
base of at least three inches at the start of the flock to provide an adequate
‘sponge’ to handle the moisture. Proper housing and equipment management will
allow for decreased RH inside the house and drier litter. Keeping litter drier
can go along way to producing a healthier and more profitable flocks*****
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