Poultry Litter Quality and Welfare: Management Principles

Litter quality in poultry housing directly affects bird welfare through foot health, breast health and respiratory disease risk, making litter management a critical welfare intervention.

Key Facts

Wet litter causes hock burn, breast blisters and foot pad dermatitis in broilers - all painful inflammatory conditions
Caked litter harbours ammonia and bacteria that cause respiratory irritation and eye damage
Stocking density, drinker design, ventilation, house insulation and litter material all affect litter quality
Rice hulls, wood shavings and straw are common litter materials with different moisture absorption properties
Litter management protocols including partial litter removal and topping up between flocks can maintain quality

Welfare Considerations

Litter quality is a welfare multiplier in poultry production - when litter quality is poor, multiple welfare problems occur simultaneously: foot and leg pain from contact dermatitis, respiratory irritation from ammonia, eye disease, and general discomfort from having to rest on wet material. The good news is that litter quality is highly responsive to management: good ventilation, correct drinker height, appropriate stocking density and regular monitoring can maintain good litter condition throughout a flock cycle. Welfare certification schemes increasingly use hock burn and foot pad scores as outcome-based welfare indicators.

What You Can Do

Support welfare certification schemes that use hock burn and foot pad dermatitis scores
Advocate for mandatory reporting of hock burn prevalence at slaughter as a welfare indicator
Choose poultry products from farms with documented low dermatitis scores
Support research into litter management innovations that maintain better quality at higher densities