On Day 26, a 10,000-bird flock deposits over 2,500 liters of water into the litter daily via droppings and respiratory loss. When high biomass (22–26 kg/m²) compacts wet shavings, anaerobic fermentation triggers rapid ammonia release, causing footpad dermatitis, hock burn, and respiratory damage.
Ammonia levels exceeding 20 ppm paralyze broiler tracheal cilia within 48 hours, paving the way for E. coli airsacculitis and ascites. Wet, caked litter also damages breast meat and causes severe footpad lesions, resulting in heavy carcass downgrades at processing.
•Troweling or spreading wet caked manure across the pen instead of physically removing it, which spreads moisture and ammonia to dry areas.
•Shutting down ventilation exhaust fans on cool nights to conserve heat, causing heavy indoor moisture condensation on litter.
•Ignoring minor drinker leaks, assuming warm ventilation air will dry out saturated litter.
•Failing to wear appropriate personal protective gear when handling heavily caked or ammonia-rich litter.
•High ammonia (>25 ppm) damages mucosal surfaces and causes immunosuppression, increasing flock vulnerability to Newcastle Disease and Infectious Bronchitis challenges. Keep litter dry to protect respiratory health.
•Clinical escalation trigger: If mortality spikes with fibrinous pericarditis/airsacculitis or if footpad lesion severity scores (Grade 2 deep ulcerations) exceed 5%, request an immediate veterinary clinical investigation.
•Do the ammonia test at bird level: crouch down so your nose is at the same height as the birds' heads. If you feel any eye burning or throat sting, ammonia is already too high, even if you couldn't smell it while standing.
•Always carry a small litter fork during morning rounds; 10 minutes of raking damp spots daily saves hours of heavy decaking work later.
Broilers cross 1.5kg body weight around Day 26. Their daily feed and water intake is massive (nearly 200g feed and 360ml water per bird). Total fecal output doubles compared to Week 2, while larger bird bodies cover more floor area and trap floor moisture.
Do not just rake wet cake into dry litter. Use a flat-edge shovel to lift and remove the wet cake completely from the house. Then spread fresh, dry, sanitized wood shavings or rice husk over the bare floor.
When shed relative humidity exceeds 70%, the air is near saturation and cannot absorb evaporated moisture from the litter. Increasing air exchange and maintaining indoor relative humidity between 50% and 65% is essential for continuous litter drying.
Tomorrow, your operation reaches Day 27. The primary management objective will be:
Deploy 2.0–2.5 m/s tunnel wind-chill, operate evaporative cooling pads efficiently, keep effective bird temperature at 20–22°C, and hit 1,625g target weight (+75–80g gain).
📈Growth & Feed Conversion Calculators
Calculate FCR, Feed Intake & Batch Profit
Benchmark your flock's live feed conversion ratio against standard commercial breed targets and audit final contract growing charge earnings.
