Granulometria da maravalha sobre a qualidade da cama e o desempenho de frangos de corte

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different wood shaving particle sizes on litter quality and growth performance of broiler chickens during the first 25 days of rearing. The experiment was conducted in a commercial poultry house located in the municipality of Verê, Paraná, Brazil, using a completely randomized design in a 4 × 5 factorial arrangement, consisting of four wood shaving particle sizes (control, fine, medium, and coarse) and five evaluation periods (5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 days of rearing), with four replicates. A total of 496 Cobb® broiler chickens were allocated to 16 pens, with 31 birds per experimental unit. The variables evaluated included litter pH, dry matter and ash contents, as well as average body weight, average daily gain (ADG), and the incidence of footpad dermatitis. Data were subjected to analysis of variance and polynomial regression. No significant interaction was observed between particle size and days of rearing for litter pH, ash content, average body weight, and ADG. Litter pH was not affected by either particle size or evaluation period. Ash content was influenced only by days of rearing, exhibiting a quadratic response. Dry matter showed a significant interaction between particle size and evaluation period, with the medium particle size exhibiting the greatest stability throughout the experimental period. Average body weight increased linearly with bird age, whereas ADG exhibited a quadratic response, reaching its maximum estimated value at approximately 22 days of rearing. It was concluded that wood shaving particle size influences litter dry matterdynamics but does not affect the growth performance of broiler chickens during the first 25 days of rearing. The medium particle size provided greater stability in litter quality throughout the experimental period.