Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of alternative litter materials
on growth performance and behaviors of broiler chicks. Chicks were raised from 1 to 42
days of age, during the summer with an average temperature of 31 8C. In experiment 1,
three hundred broilers (Ross 308) were randomly assigned to one of 20 floor pens. There
were four replicates for each of the following five litter treatments: (1) no litter, (2) wood
shaving, (3) sand, (4) rice hulls and (5) recycled paper roll. Results showed broilers reared
on rice hulls had significantly lower bodyweight, feed intake and antibody titer (P < 0.05).
Litter materials had no significant influence on feed conversion, carcass yield, abdominal
fat, gizzard, intestine, ceca and lymphoid organs expressed as a percentage of bodyweight.
In experiment 2, four pens were divided into four quarters and bedded with sand, wood
shavings, rice hulls and paper roll. Birds (20/pen) were observed, ten times a day and one
day per week from weeks 2 to 6. The birds spent 49% of their time in the sand side, 19% in
the wood shavings, 18% in the paper roll and 13% in the rice hulls. The proportion of the
total time budget spent dustbathing was greater on the sand side. The time spent sitting
was also higher in the sand and wood shavings. Walking was greater on the rice hulls and
paper roll but foraging was lower on the rice hulls. These results indicate that broilers
reared on floor (no litter), sand and paper roll performed as well as those reared on wood
shavings and when given a choice, broilers spent a greater proportion of their total time in
sand and performed a greater proportion of their behaviors on sand.