PEANUT HULLS AS A LITTER SOURCE FOR BROILER BREEDER REPLACEMENT PULLETS

Broiler breeder pullets were reared on either peanut hulls or pine sha vings to determine effects of litter type on growth performance and li tter characteristics. Pullets were reared to 20 wk of age in rooms ini tially bedded with 8 cm of clean shavings or hulls. Heating and ventil ation were standardized in all rooms. Restricted skip-a-day feeding wa s used to attain recommended growth curves. Water was continuously pro vided for ad libitum consumption. Litter and environmental variables w ere measured throughout rearing and 2 wk after pullets were removed fr om the litter materials. Feed consumption, BW, mortality, and uniformi ty at 20 wk were not affected by litter type; however, gizzard weights were decreased in pullets reared on hulls. Litter bulk density increa sed with use and was greater for shavings through II wk, but not there after. Particle size decreased with use in both litter types Through 1 1 wk, there were more particles in the > 4 mm range and less in the < 1.7 mm range with hulls. Litter moisture increased with use but was no t affected by litter type. Litter pH was greater in unused shavings, b ut during and after use was generally greater in hulls. With both litt er types, litter and environmental ammonia levels increased to 11 wk t hen decreased; however, this effect was more pronounced for hulls. Bac teria populations were not affected by litter type; however, greater f ungal populations were observed in shavings at 7 and 15 wk. Aflatoxins were detected in unused hulls but not shavings. Because aflatoxin lev els decreased during use and Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasi ticus populations were not detected in samples collected during use, a flatoxins observed were presumed to have been formed prior to use. Pea nut hulls performed similarly to pine shavings as a litter source for breeder pullets; however, the specific influence of the aflatoxins con tained in this litter source on bird performance deserves further stud y.