AUBURN, Ala. — A team of researchers at Auburn University’s Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station is working on an initiative to reduce the amount of gas emissions from poultry houses and improve overall animal welfare for poultry production.
According to the university, Debolina Chakraborty, an assistant research professor with the Department of Biosystems Engineering, is leading the project, with the help of Rishi Prasad and Wilmer Pacheco.
“We aim to develop a safer and more sustainable litter amendment that does more than just control ammonia,” Chakraborty told the university in a statement. “Our goal is to create a product that improves environmental quality, protects poultry health, supports better animal welfare and helps broiler producers stay profitable in the long run.”
Both Prasad and Pacheco are both associate professors and specialists with Alabama Extension at Auburn University. Pacheco represents the Poultry Science Department while Prasad is representing the Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences Department.
With Prasad and Pacheco’s knowledge in their respective fields, they know exactly what challenges producers are facing when it comes to litter management.
“A lot of science is done in the lab, but many times it does not reach end users,” Prasad said. “In this study, our partnership will play a significant role in testing and transferring the technology to poultry growers.”
Today’s poultry producers must manage bird health and waste management, while also producing and delivering quality protein to consumers. Each year, broiler production in Alabama brings in around $16 billion in revenue, and more than 1 billion birds are raised in the state, Auburn University said.
With this many birds being processed every year, it’s clear that litter management is an essential task for producers, especially since the production process yields around 2 million tons of litter waste annually, the university added.
Broiler litter radiates ammonia and other gases and has been known to produce high levels of nitrous oxide. It can even produce microorganisms, such as salmonella and E. coli, which are threats to food safety and bird health, the university explained.
Poultry producers and researchers both take the necessary precautions to keep birds healthy and reduce contamination risks. In fact, producers currently use poultry litter treatment, which is a chemical amendment added to the waste, but that is only a temporary solution.
“Because they are harsh chemicals, they may also create other problems, such as irritating birds’ skin, causing foot lesions or disrupting beneficial microbes in the litter,” Chakraborty said. “As a result, these treatments may negatively affect bird health and overall litter quality.”
This research project looks to tackle these litter problems by creating a new type of absorbent. It will reduce ammonia and nitrous oxide when added to broiler litter, as well as suppressing pathogens and lowering the risk of phosphorous runoff, the university said.
Currently, the research team is working to develop the litter amendments, but they eventually plan to test these treatments in poultry houses around the state.
“Ultimately, this work supports a more sustainable future for poultry farming, benefiting the planet, the people who work in the industry and the birds themselves,” Chakraborty added.
This research project is being funded by a grant given to the university from Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey as part of the Alabama Research and Development Enhancement Fund.
“Researchers at these institutions have a track record for forging innovations that improve people’s lives in Alabama and beyond,” Gov. Ivey said in a statement about the fund. “Their far-reaching research impacts everything from the next wave of technology to the conservation of our forests. I am proud to support this important and pioneering work through these grant awards.”
In addition to Auburn, the University of Alabama and the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology (Huntsville, Ala.) also received grants from this fund to complete their research.
