Wet litter killing your profit? 7 fixes for broilers in winter

Wet Litter and Loose Droppings in Broilers in Winter: Causes and 7 Fixes

/ Broiler Farming / By
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In winter, many broiler farmers close every curtain to keep the shed warm, and within a week the litter turns wet and sticky. Wet litter is not just a dirty floor. It releases ammonia that burns the eyes and lungs, it is the perfect home for coccidia, it causes breast blisters and foot burns, and it quietly spoils FCR. Usually wet litter has more than one cause. Here is how to find yours and fix it.

First, check your litter in 10 seconds

Pick up a handful of litter from the middle of the shed and squeeze it.

  • It breaks apart loosely: good.
  • It sticks together in a ball: too wet. Act today.
  • It is dusty and does not hold at all: too dry; birds may get dust problems.

Also check by smell: if your eyes sting when you enter the shed in the morning, ammonia is too high.

1. Ventilate, even in winter

Birds breathe out a lot of moisture, and their droppings are mostly water. If the shed is closed tight, this moisture has nowhere to go and settles in the litter. Keep a small opening at the top of the curtains on both sides so moist air can escape, and open more during the warm afternoon hours. A little fresh air costs far less than wet litter.

2. Fix leaking drinkers first

  • Set drinker height to the birds’ back level and raise it as they grow.
  • For nipple lines, check that the pressure is not too high and that no nipple is dripping.
  • Look under every drinker. A wet ring around one drinker is a drinker problem, not a disease.

3. Remove caked patches and add fresh litter

Do not just spread new husk on top of wet litter. Take out the caked, wet patches (especially near drinkers and walls), rake the rest every day, and then add dry rice husk or sawdust. Turning the litter lets the trapped moisture escape.

4. Check the feed

Too much salt in the feed makes birds drink more and pass watery droppings. So can poor-quality or rancid oil and sudden feed changes. If loose droppings started right after a new feed lot, talk to your feed supplier.

5. Keep the gut healthy

Loose, watery or brown “coffee” droppings often mean the gut is upset. A healthy gut absorbs water and nutrients properly; an upset gut sends them straight to the litter. Probiotics and prebiotics help restore good gut bacteria.

Remipro probiotic for poultry by IMN Pyrophos

Gut health · bestseller

Remipro

Probiotics, prebiotics (MOS) and Saccharomyces with betaine, methionine and vitamin C. Restores normal gut flora, reduces loose droppings, improves digestion and FCR, helps in coccidiosis recovery and corrects brown/coffee coloured droppings.

Dose: 1 g per 8 kg body weight or 1 g per litre of water for routine gut health; 1 g per 5 kg body weight or 2 g per litre during loose droppings and infections; 1 g per 100 chicks in brooding.

500 g ₹626MRP ₹950

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6. Watch for coccidiosis and bacterial infection

Wet litter and coccidiosis feed each other: wet litter helps coccidia multiply, and coccidiosis makes droppings wetter. Signs to watch are bloody or mucus-filled droppings, birds sitting puffed up, and sudden deaths. In such cases call your vet. Diagnosis comes first, then treatment.

Alongside the vet’s treatment, an anti-diarrhoeal support helps birds recover faster.

Septima for loose droppings in poultry

Loose droppings · bestseller

Septima

Anti-diarrhoeal combination with herbal bioenhancers in a dextrose base. Corrects loose droppings and is helpful in sudden mortality from intestinal Salmonella and E. coli, in early chick mortality, and against coccidiosis and necrotic enteritis.

Dose: 1 g per 6 kg body weight or 1 g per litre for moderate cases; 1 g per 4–5 kg body weight or 2 g per litre in high mortality. In E. coli infection, use after the antibiotic course. Do not mix with other drugs, sanitizers or acidifiers.

500 g ₹793MRP ₹1,300

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7. Don’t forget the heart and lungs

Closed sheds with high ammonia and cold nights also raise the risk of ascites (water belly) in fast-growing broilers. Read our guide on broiler ascites treatment. For prevention, Ascitox Q10 is given at night on fixed days of the batch (2–4, 13–15 and 23–25). See Ascitox Q10.

Daily winter litter checklist

MorningAfternoon
Squeeze test in 3 spotsOpen curtains a little more for fresh air
Smell check for ammoniaRake the litter, remove caked patches
Look under every drinkerAdd dry husk where needed
Check droppings colourNote mortality and call the vet if it rises
Litter problem not going away? Send a photo of the litter and droppings with your bird age and count on WhatsApp +91 98715 84101. Dr. Ibne Ali’s team will tell you what to check first. Ask on WhatsApp

Also read: broiler 42 days medicine schedule · broiler management and disease manual · lameness in poultry

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