Slatted floor reduces the welfare and increases the foot pad dermatitis and growth performance of Turkeys under Egyptian conditions

Abstract

Background: When turkeys’ legs come in contact with their dropping during the growing stage results in footpad dermatitis condition which affects the poult's welfare and productivity. Aim: Our experiment aimed to detect the impact of different bedding materials on the wellbeing, and performance of growing turkey under Egyptian conditions. Methods: 180-day-old turkey poults were allocated into three treatments. In treatment I, the poults (60 each with three replicates (n = 20 birds) were kept on wood shavings (WS); in the second treatment, the poults were housed on chopped wheat straw (CWS). But, in the third treatment, they kept on a plastic slatted floor (PSF). Results: The greater feed intake and body weight were recorded in poults reared in PSF compared with those kept in other treatments (WS and CWS). FCR didn’t show any significant difference. The mortality percentage was higher in the PSF group than in the WS one. The frequency of feeding and drinking behavior was higher in poults reared on WS treatment compared with other treatments CWS and PSF. On the other hand, resting behavior showed the highest frequency in poults kept in PSF. Contrary, the lowest frequency of walking behavior was recorded in poults reared in PSF treatment. Additionally, the poults kept in WS had a longer tonic immobility reaction period followed by those kept in PSF and CWS. Concerning foot-pad dermatitis, the highest score of 0 was observed in the CWS group, while the highest score of 1 was recorded among poults kept in the WS group. On the other side, the highest score 2, 3, and 4 was observed in the poults reared in the PSF group. Heterophil/Lymphocyte (H/L) ratio of turkey poults was higher in PSF. While T3 and T4 concentrations in blood weren’t affected by using different bedding materials. Conclusion: It is concluded that the slatted floor was good for turkey producers from the point of performance but, it’s the worst from the point of welfare.