Litter condition in broiler and turkey houses has a profound impact on bird welfare through its effects on footpad health, air quality and disease risk.
Poultry litter quality is a welfare issue that affects every bird in a house continuously throughout the growing period. Poor litter with high ammonia, wet patches and caking causes footpad burns that are painful and persistent, respiratory irritation, eye disease and increased disease transmission. The interaction between stocking density, ventilation design and drinker management means that litter welfare problems often have multiple causes requiring systematic rather than single-point solutions.