Nanotechnological Plastic Flooring: Implications for Broiler Chicken Performance, Health, and Carcass Quality

This study investigated the effects of two types of plastic flooring, with and without nanotechnological antimicrobial additives, as complete or partial replacements for wood shavings on broiler chickens' performance, yield, meat quality, and litter microbiology up to 42 days of age. A total of 1,500 Ross 408® male broiler chicks were randomly assigned to five treatments: wood shavings (WS), plastic flooring (PF), a 50/50 mix of plastic flooring and wood shavings (PF+WS), plastic flooring with antimicrobial additive (PFA), and a 50/50 mix of antimicrobial plastic flooring and wood shavings (PFA+WS). The study assessed liver, heart, spleen, gizzard biometrics, Eimeria lesion severity, microbiological profiles, performance indices, and meat quality. Results showed that plastic flooring, mainly when used alone, posed challenges, such as increased intestinal lesions associated with coccidiosis and a higher presence of Salmonella. Additionally, birds raised on plastic flooring exhibited poorer feed conversion, lower body weight, and reduced carcass yield than wood shavings. Meat quality was also affected, with plastic flooring leading to less desirable fillet characteristics. Overall, using plastic flooring negatively impacted the performance and health of broiler chickens.