Effect of Litter Material and Elevated Platform Enrichment on Behaviour and Welfare of Broiler Chickens in Closed‐House System

The present study assessed the effect of litter materials (paddy husk and sawdust) and elevated platform enrichment on welfare (foot pad dermatitis (FPD), hock burns, plumage cleanliness, behaviours, litter qual-ity, and body weight of the broiler chickens living in the cooling pad area of a closed house. A total of 320 Indian River broiler chicks were randomly allocated to four treatments: paddy husk with an elevated plat-form, paddy husk with no elevated platform, sawdust with an elevated platform, and sawdust with no ele-vated platform with four replicates for each treatment (n=20). Behaviour of the birds was assessed by scan sampling methods. Welfare indicators were assessed by using a scoring system. Data were analyzed using a generalized linear mixed model and Kruskal-Wallis tests. There was no effect of litter material on the prevalence of FPD (P 0.05). Elevated platforms reduced the severity of FPD in the birds in both litters (P 0.05). The birds reared in sawdust regardless of elevated platforms, showed higher (P 0.05) scores for hock burns. Litter quality was lower in sawdust, irrespective of the elevated platforms (P 0.05). There was no effect of the elevated platform on litter quality, hock burns, plumage cleanliness, and behaviours of the birds. A higher frequency of dust bathing was observed in paddy husks (P=0.014). Litter material or ele-vated platform did not affect body weight of the birds. Results revealed that the provision of elevated plat-forms and paddy husk litter material enhanced the welfare of broiler chickens in the closed-house system.