For a Healthier Flock 8 Ways, You Can Easily Reduce Moisture in the Litter

One of the easiest ways to keep poultry diseases at bay from your poultry flock is to always keep your litter healthy and dry, at the same time ensuring that it smells good. Any serious poultry should aim to reduce moisture in the litter.

Dry litter helps keep poultry birds healthy, controls poultry house ammonia levels, and minimizes the risk of carcass condemnations because of breast blisters and hock burns.

Proper cross-air ventilation in the poultry house will healthily keep the moisture in the litter dry and conducive for your birds.

The following points will assist you to reduce moisture in the litter and ensure that moisture is kept within a tolerable limit, especially during the wet season when you usually have high relative humidity in the air.

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1. Cross Air Movement and Good Ventilation

The poultry house should be designed in such a way that there is always cross-air ventilation.

In a tropical humid climate, the house should be constructed with all side nets to allow free movement of air circulation.

2. To Reduce Moisture in the Litter you have to Remove Litter Caking, and Replace Wet Spots with Dry Litter Immediately

Periodical inspection of the litter is key to keeping it dry and healthy for your birds. Where there is water spillage or wetness on the litter, it should be replaced with dry litter.

In areas where you have caked litter, you should use a rake to brake the caked litter and shift it to the sides of the poultry pen to allow it to dry quickly.

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3. Keep Fans Running, Where Possible will Help to Reduce Moisture in the Litter
   

Run circulation fans between flocks. A little air movement across the litter goes a long way to help remove moisture from the litter.

4. Avoid Roof Leakage

Most litter moisture is attributed to water spillage, and the roofs leaking. Take time to inspect the roof of your poultry house to avoid water droppings that will increase moisture in the litter.

It is always a good idea to have good detachable curtains hung on all sides of your poultry house.

Whenever the rain is falling with a strong wind, the curtains should be detached to avoid rainwater spilling into the poultry house.

5. Adjust and Clean the Drinker System

It is very important that you manage the drinker system properly. If you are using bell drinkers or manual drinkers always inspect spots under the drinkers for water spills.

The litter under these areas could pose a danger for the birds as a breeding ground for bacteria proliferation.

Ensure that the right type of drinkers for the bird’s age is used. And the right height is attained for the birds to be able to drink water comfortably without climbing the tip and top of the drinkers. This could lead to more water spilling into the litter.

Make sure that drinker lines are clean by flushing on a regular basis to allow easy flow of water without any blockage. Debris in the water lines can result in leaky drinkers.

6. Use Circulation Fans throughout the Flock

If you are operating a large operation always use circulation fans, it helps in removing moisture from the litter in two ways. Firstly, they move hot, dry air from the ceiling down to floor level where it is needed.

Second, they gently move air across the litter surface, significantly increasing the rate at which moisture is removed from the litter.

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7. Check and Adjust Relative Humidity

Use house relative humidity to determine if you are ventilating sufficiently. The ideal relative humidity (RH) is 50-60%. If the RH is above 70% first thing in the morning, your minimum ventilation setting is probably too low and should be increased.

    8. Replace Top Litter

Periodically top dress your litter by replacing the top dark-looking litter with fresh ones, but remember not to scoop everything completely.

This should be done in the early hours of the day when the temperature is not too hot, and the birds are not stressed.