Seven ways to improve litter quality in your coop

Chickens raised on floor system spend the rest of their lives in constant contact with litter, lying on it, bathing in it and constantly scratching it looking for spilled feed or pebbles to swallow. This litter if not properly looked after by the poultry attendant can be a source of infections like coccidiosis, bumble foot (foot pad sores), worm infestations, pneumonia, mycotoxicosis. It is therefore extremely important to keep the litter dry and friable all the time and encourage the chickens to keep turning that litter repeatedly using its feet and feathers what we refer to ‘working the litter’. Here are seven factors to consider for quality poultry litter.

1.     Choice of litter