Effects of Feed-Through Sulfur on Growth Performance, Atmospheric Ammonia Levels, and Footpad Lesions in Broilers Raised Beginning with Built-Up Litter

SIMPLE SUMMARY: During commercial farming of chickens, accumulation of feces and moisture in the litter on the floor of the chicken house can lead to ammonia production by natural bacteria in the litter that ingest the chicken feces. Excessive ammonia levels can lead to health problems for the chickens, which can inhibit their growth and cause sores on their breasts and paws. To mitigate this animal welfare issue, this experiment tested the use of sulfur as a feed additive (feed-through sulfur) to acidify chicken feces and prevent ammonia from being formed from bacterial action. In this experiment, feed-through sulfur was tested on three different flocks of chickens. The combination of feed-through sulfur with a traditional litter acidifier, sodium bisulfate, showed improved ammonia control over sodium bisulfate alone in one flock. For the other two flocks, ammonia control was similar between feed-through sulfur with sodium bisulfate and sodium bisulfate alone. In addition, litter acidification was best with the combination of feed-through sulfur and sodium bisulfate in 2 out of 3 flocks. These results indicate the possibility that adding sulfur to feed while also using sodium bisulfate litter treatment may work together to better control ammonia in the chicken house. ABSTRACT: To the poultry industry, ammonia accumulation within poultry houses can be a costly issue, as this can lead to problems with bird performance, damage to economically important parts such as paws, and customer disapproval due to animal welfare concerns. Common management practices for ammonia control can be quite effective; however, these methods are used variably from farm to farm, which necessitates ammonia control measures that poultry companies can more uniformly implement across all contract growers. One possible measure is ammonia control through feed additives, which would allow poultry companies more direct control over the treatment. This project explored the efficacy of elemental sulfur added directly to the feed (feed-through sulfur) in controlling litter ammonia levels, live performance, and paw quality of broilers raised on built-up litter over three successive flocks. Feed-through sulfur on its own showed inconsistent effects on performance or footpad lesions after 38 days of production compared to sodium bisulfate or control treatments. However, combination of feed-through sulfur and sodium bisulfate showed a potential synergistic effect on ammonia levels and litter pH, although there were few differences between treatments and controls; therefore, additional research must be explored to confirm these observations.