Softwood Chipping Fines: Efficacy as Poultry Litter

Softwood chipping fines, a by-product of the paper manufacturing industry, was evaluated for its efficacy as poultry litter on a total of 1,200 broilers. There were no differences in 49-day body weights or feed conversion between broilers grown on softwood chipping fines and on pine shaving control litter. Broilers grown on chipping fines litter had 58% fewer breast downgrades and 64% more Grade A carcasses than those raised on pine shavings. High moisture level chipping fines litter treatments produced slightly elevated mortality, but overall mortality was low.