Litter, the chain that starts with a leak

A drinker that drips. You walk past it every morning. No one thinks about the burnt feet it is causing.

This wet patch is the first link in a chain. I’ll take you through it, then show you where to break it.

First link: water reaching the ground. And it has more sources than you think.

A leak, a poorly adjusted drinker, too many chickens, air that does not circulate, liquid droppings, rain.

Second link: the litter gets waterlogged. Good litter retains twenty to twenty-five per cent water.

Beyond that, it compacts, sticks together and forms a crust. And litter that stays wet releases ammonia.

Third link: ammonia. It is measured in parts per million. Ideally, it should be less than ten.

Your nose only detects it from fifteen or twenty onwards. If you can smell it, you are already above the ideal level.

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

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

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

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

Fifth link: coccidiosis. When the litter is warm and damp, it makes the parasite dangerous.

So where do you break this chain? At the first link. Before adding even one bag of wood shavings, find out where the water is coming from.

Walk around the poultry house. Look at the shape of the wet areas. It tells you where the water is coming from.

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

Tighten it, raise it, reduce the pressure. Then look at the same spot the next morning.

A wet strip along one side? It’s rain. In that case, you need to check the tarpaulin or the roof overhang.

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

Once the cause is fixed, remove the crusted patch. Replace it with dry wood shavings. In that order.

I recommend doing this inspection every time you go in, not just on the day it smells. Fixing one drip means one less link.

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

Photograph the litter under your drinkers and send it on WhatsApp to 05 44 83 27 79. The flock record book is yours free of charge.

And order your chicks at 07 07 72 78 67. Subscribe. Next, close up at night without suffocating the flock.

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