ADVANCES IN ECOLOGICAL SCIENCE

Decrease Air Biological Contamination by Improving the Litter Characteristics in Broiler Barns During Winter

Berna Krikor Jilenkerian

Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture Engineering, Tishreen University, Lattakia, Syria.

Ali Nisafi

Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture Engineering, Tishreen University, Lattakia, Syria.

Ahmad Kara Ali

Department of Marine chemistry, Higher Institute of Marine Research, Tishreen University, Lattakia, Syria.

Bushra AI-Eissa

Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture Engineering, Tishreen University, Lattakia, Syria.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.61706/aecs15005

Keywords: Air Bacteria, Broiler, Gram-Positive Bacteria, Gram-Negative Bacteria, Natural Zeolite

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Abstract

The study was conducted in the Lattakia Governorate, Syria. The data was collected during the winter months from December 2022 to January 2023. In this experiment, 3,000 birds of the Roos hybrid were randomly assigned to four groups, each comprising 750 birds. The experiment was conducted using a completed randomized design. The objective of this experiment was to ascertain the impact of three distinct ratios of Syrian natural zeolite (Tz₁, Tz₂, Tz₃) on the bacterial contamination of the air in broiler barns. The results demonstrated that at the sixth week of the fattening period, the bacterial concentrations in the Tz₃ treatment were 7.9 x 105 and 9.5 x 10³ CFU/m³ for Staphylococcus spp. and Escherichia coli, respectively. The results demonstrated that incorporating Syrian natural zeolite into broiler litter resulted in a reduction of airborne bacteria for both Staphylococcus spp. and Escherichia coli, with a more pronounced effect observed in the Tz₃ treatment within the interior airspace. This study presents a novel approach for the mitigation of airborne microorganisms within broiler barns.

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