Reduction of ammonia emissions by applying probiotics on litter in a commercial breeding poultry house
¹Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, K.Helmaņa Street 8, LV-3004, Jelgava, Latvia
²WPSA Latvia branch, A/S Balticovo - administrative building, LV-3913, Iecavas district, Latvia
*Correspondence: sabiine.eglite@gmail.com
Abstract:
Agricultural sectors account for a part of total ammonia emissions, including poultry. This is especially true in breeding poultry houses, where birds live on litter for several months. The purpose of the research was to reduce ammonia emission and to improve birds living environment. The study was performed in two breeding poultry houses: the test house (ProLG) and the control house (ConLG). The study starts when young breeding birds (Ross 308) are housed at 19 weeks of age until the birds are eradicated at 60 weeks of age. At the test house the probiotic mixture in a powder form was manually spread 10 g per m2 before the birds were placed, and it was spread manually once a week on litter and over manure pits throughout the lifetime 5 g per m2 of probiotic mixture. The amount of ammonia in ProLG and ConLG houses was measured in the fifth week after the start of the study and afterwards every four weeks at the same 6 points each time and the condition of the litter was assessed on a 5-point scale. As the age of the poultry increases, the number of measurements also increases. Electricity consumption was calculated every month for the test housing and for the control housing. The trial is still ongoing, initial results showed that amount of ammonia has decreased compared to the control house, indicating that the probiotics can be used efficiently to reduce ammonia in the manure of the birds and improving the microclimate in poultry houses, but subsequent results did not give the expected results – the efficacy of probiotics had not been yet approved.
Key words:
ammonia, Lactobacillus farcimins, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, manure, poultry meat