Odofree

Ammonia emission is one of the major concerns in the intensive poultry farming system. Ammonia is an airborne irritant and its level should not exceed 25 ppm in poultry houses. Exposure to 20 ppm for long periods of time, causes increased respiratory tract damage which leads to various diseases like Newcastle disease, Airsacculitis, Coccidiosis etc. Recent studies have shown that decreased vaccination efficacy has been related to excessive ammonia emission.
Apart from these adverse effects, deep litter broiler farmers especially in coastal areas are facing a unique problem which is related to atmospheric ammonia. Wet litter leads to production of excessive aerial ammonia which attracts various kinds of fly into the poultry farms. These flies lay eggs /maggots in the vent region of the birds and the maggots start eating the flesh and grow inside the bird, which results in damage to the entire tail region and ultimately death of the bird. Due to poor carcass quality and mortality, more than 10% of economic loss is reported by the farmers.