AUTHOR=Diarra Siaka , Lameta Sonny , Amosa Falaniko , Anand Sanjay 

TITLE=Alternative Bedding Materials for Poultry: Availability, Efficacy, and Major Constraints

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Veterinary Science

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2021.669504

DOI=10.3389/fvets.2021.669504

ISSN=2297-1769

ABSTRACT=<p>The increasing demand of wood shavings (WS) and sawdust (SD) by other industries and growing concerns of potential chemical contaminants from wood products have amplified research interest in alternative bedding materials for commercial poultry. Several alternative materials—corn cob (CC), straws (ST) and hays (HA), sand (SA), shredded papers (SP), rice hulls (RH), peanut hulls (PH), and gypsum (CaSO<sub>4.</sub>2H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>)—can replace conventional ones in poultry houses, depending on availability, cost, and ability to absorb and adsorb moisture and provide the birds enough room to exhibit their natural behaviors. Alternative materials hold a brighter future as bedding materials, but more studies about their physicochemical properties and litter management practices for optimum poultry welfare are recommended.</p>