Litter, the chain that starts from a leak

A dripping drinker. You pass by it every morning. No one thinks about the burned feet it prepares.

This wet patch is the first link in a chain. I will unfold it for you, then I will show you where to cut it.

First link, water that reaches the ground. And it has more entry points than you think.

A leak, a poorly adjusted drinker, too many chickens, stagnant air, liquid droppings, rain.

Second link, the litter absorbs water. Good litter retains twenty to twenty-five percent of water.

Beyond that, it compacts, it sticks, it forms a crust. And litter that remains wet releases ammonia.

Third link, ammonia. It is measured in parts per million. The ideal is less than ten.

Your nose only detects it from fifteen or twenty. If it smells, you are already above the ideal.

At twenty-five, growth slows. Between fifty and a hundred, for days, it is the eyes that are affected.

And your chicken breathes at the level of this litter, day and night. It cannot go out for fresh air.

Fourth link, the feet. On wet litter, the pads burn. This is called pododermatitis.

These burns do not stay in the chicken coop. They are still visible on the day of slaughter.

Fifth link, coccidiosis. Wet and warm, the litter makes the parasite dangerous.

So, where to cut this chain? At the first link. Before adding a single bag of shavings, find out where the water comes from.

Walk around the building. Look at the shape of the wet areas. It tells you where the water comes from.

A wet circle under a drinker? A leak, a drinker that is too low, or too much pressure.

Tighten, raise, lower the pressure. Then check the same spot the next morning.

A wet strip along one side? That’s the rain. There, it’s the tarp or the roof overhang that needs to be reviewed.

Wet everywhere at once? Look at the density and the air. If the droppings are liquid, talk to your veterinarian.

Once the cause is resolved, the crusted plate comes out. Dry shavings replace it. In that order.

I advise you to make this round every time you pass by, not just on the day it smells. A fixed drop is one link less.

And at your place, is the wet patch under a drinker, or everywhere?

Photograph the litter under your drinkers, and send it via WhatsApp to 05 44 83 27 79. The flock record book is offered to you.

And order your chicks at 07 07 72 78 67. Subscribe. Then, close at night without suffocating the batch.

Every Monday and Thursday evening, our chicks leave our hatchery in Agnibilékrou. With Nextekci, every customer is a satisfied poultry farmer.