Newspaper as Litter Material and its Effects on the Performance of Broilers

A 46 day trial was conducted to evaluate the use of shredded newspaper as a litter material for broilers. Four litter treatments were used: 1) wood shavings (WS), 2) wood shavings mixed with paper (WSP), 3) shavings layered over paper (S/P), and 4) paper layered over shavings (P/S). Litter material had no effect on body weight, feed conversion, mortality, or percent leg problems. Feed consumption during days 39 to 46 was significantly higher for broilers grown on WS and ESP. The incidence of breast blisters was lower for birds in the WS treatment than for birds in the other treatments. Newspaper in combination with wood shavings can be a suitable litter if litter moisture can be controlled.