Testing different management practices can help to identify conditions that decrease or even eliminate pathogenic bacteria in poultry litter. A trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of daily manual stirring (rotation of the litter with a pitchfork) for the first 14 d of a bird's life (WDR), in 3 types of poultry litter substrates and quicklime treatment (CaO) during layout time between flocks on pathogenic bacteria occurrence (cfu). A total of 216 male Cobb broilers were randomly allotted to 18 pens with new litter (experimental unit). A split-plot design, with 6 treatments allotted to the main plots, was used: 1) wood shavings (WS) + WDR, 2) WS without stirring up to 14 d (WODR), 3) rice hulls (RIH) + WDR, 4) RIH + WODR, 5) mixture of 50% RIH and WS + WDR, and 6) mixture of 50% RIH and WS + WODR. Two treatments were allotted to the subplots: 0 and 300 g of CaO•m(-2) litter. After depopulation, litter samples were collected, and CaO was incorporated into the litter in the designated half of each pen. The cfu from litter samples after 7 d of the quicklime treatment were counted on Chapman agar, brain heart infusion media, and MacConkey agar. The data were analyzed using ANOVA, and the means were compared by least squares means (P < 0.05). Neither the type of substrate nor the act of stirring affected the cfu. The incorporation of 300 g of CaO•m(-2) litter efficiently reduced the cfu observed on brain heart infusion, Chapman agar, and MacConkey agar media by 57.2, 66.9, and 92.1%, respectively, compared with control (6.4, 17.9, and 46.1%; P < 0.001). In conclusion, the incorporation of 300 g/m(-2) of quicklime in poultry litter reduces the cfu, regardless of the substrate and stirring performed.

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The aim was to evaluate the use of mixture of microencapsulated carvacrol and cinnamaldehyde as a replacement for growth-promoting antibiotics in broiler diets on performance, intestinal quality, organ development, carcass yields and cuts, and meat quality. In the trial were used 600 male chicks, allocated in a completely randomized design, with fi ve treatments and eight replicates of 15 birds, reared up to 41 days of age. The treatments were: Negative Control (NC), Positive Control (PC) 30 mg/kg of virginiamycin, NC+100 mg/kg of essential oils, NC+200 mg/kg of essential oils and NC+400 mg/kg of essential oils. Essential oils were composed by a micro-encapsulated blend, with of 60% cinnamaldehyde, 30% carvacrol and 10% carrier. Birds received essential oils achieved performance equivalent to those birds received PC diets, having better development than NC broilers. No differences were found on relative organ weight, intestinal mucosa and meat quality parameters, however, higher villus:cript ratio was found in PC, NC+200 and NC+400 groups. Meat crude protein and yellowness were infl uenced by inclusion of carvacrol and cinnamaldehyde. It was concluded microencapsulated carvacrol and cinnamaldehyde can replace growth-promoting antibiotic in broiler diets, ensuring performance, intestinal integrity and broiler meat quality.

Although the use of quicklime (CaO) and tarping are common handling practices aimed at the reuse of litter in the Brazilian poultry industry, few scientific studies have proven the effectiveness of these methods in reducing the pathogenic microbial load during fallowing. The objective of this study was to evaluate the following litter treatments: T1 no treatment (control), T2 quicklime (300 g m(-2)), T3 tarping, T4 tarping+quicklime (300 g m(-2)). The litter samples were collected on day zero and on the sixth and twelfth days after the start of fallowing. The use of quicklime alone or quicklime+tarping was more effective (P<0.05) in reducing bacteria when compared to litter tarping. Except for the control group, all treatments resulted in a more than 84% reduction in the count of colony-forming units (CFUs) at the end of fallowing. It is concluded that the use of quicklime alone in practical terms is the most indicated treatment for the reduction of the bacterial load of poultry litter.

The present study was carried out in the poultry sector of UNOESC Xanxerê to evaluate the effect of various inclusion levels of seaweed (Schizotrichium ssp.) in the diet of broiler chickens in terms of performance, carcass yield, organ profiles and fatty acids levels in meat. We studied 480 one-day-old Cobb chicks, distributed in a completely randomized experimental design, with four treatments and six replicates containing 20 birds each, totaling 24 experimental units. At 7, 21 and 35 days of age, the birds were weighed for performance evaluation (live weight, weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion and mortality). At 35 days of age, one chicken per experimental unit was sacrificed for evaluation of carcass yield and its parts, together with isolation of the left thigh for analysis of the fatty acid profile. The inclusion of seaweed in the diet did not alter the characteristics of performance or yield in carcass and organs; however, the supplement changed the profile of fatty acids of the meat, enriching the omega-3 series, primarily DHA. We conclude that marine algae of the genus Schizotrichium can be added to rations without compromising the development of the birds to improve the profile of fatty acids in the meat.