Effect of stocking density on air quality and health and performance of heavy tom turkeys

• Author(s) / Creator(s)

  • Perkins, S.
  • Zuidhof, Martin J.
  • Feddes, John J. R.
  • Robinson, Frank E.

• Four environmental chambers housing either 75 (5.5 birds/m\") or 37 turkeys (2.8 birds/m ) were used to study the impact of stocking density on air quality, bird health, and performance under similar per bird ventilation rates (3 L/s per bird). Stocking density had little effect on air quality or liveweight gain. The following observations were made for the high and low density stocked chambers, respec tively: respirabie dust concentrations were 26 and 24 particles/mL, mean ammonia concentrations were 4 and 4 ppm, mean carbon dioxide levels were 1830 and 1890 ppm, ammonia production was 0.05 and 0.06 L/h per bird, and carbon dioxide production was 9.3 and 8.8 L/h per bird. Lung lesion incidence and severity was not significantly different between stocking densities, although lesion severity tended to increase with increased density. A greater percent age of birds in the high density treatment gasped when the ambient temperature was temporarily elevated (31% high density, 6% low density). Eight, 12 and 16 week body masses and feed:gain were not influenced by density or lesion score

• Date created

  1995

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Stocking Density
  • Ammonia
  • Lesions
  • Air Quality
  • Dust

• Type of Item

  Article (Published)

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R36T0H907

• License

  Attribution 4.0 International