Received: 18-08-2020 / Accepted: 14-09-2020
Effects of microbial fermented litter and perches on the welfare quality and growth performance were studied in colored broiler. A total of 360 broiler chickens (Ho × Luong Phuong) at four- weeks- old were housed in 4 treatment groups, 30 broilers per group and 3 replication pens, under semi-commercial conditions over 9 weeks. Birds were housed in one of 4 treatment groups including the control group (DC, chickens raising under rice husk bedding), TN1 (DC + bamboo perches), TN2 (DC + microbial fermented litter), and TN3 (combined both TN1 and TN2). The weight of bird individuals from pens was recorded weekly for performance assessment. At the end of the experiment, bird individuals from pens were held and kept for assessment of comb scratches, plumage cleanliness, hock burns, footpad dermatitis, and breast deformities. Results showed that the birds housed with TN1 and TN3 groups had a greater proportion of plumage cleanliness, crooked breast and a lower proportion of comb scratches compared to birds with DC and TN2 groups (P <0.05). Treatments did not significantly affect hock burns and footpad dermatitis (P >0.05). In addition, the treatment groups had no significant effect on parameters such as mortality rates, growth performances, and feed conversion ratio (P >0.05). It was concluded that colored broilers housed in pens supplemented withbamboo perches and both bamboo perches and fermented microbial litter under semi-commercial conditions have the potential of improving animal welfare without positive effects on the performance.