Effect of humate supplementation to feed and/or litter on performance, intestinal viscosity, litter quality, and occurrence of footpad dermatitis in broilers fed barley-based diets.

We investigated the effect of in-feed and/or in-litter supplemental humate against footpad dermatitis (FPD) in broilers fed diets based on barley. Three hundred and sixty 1-day-old Ross 308 broiler chickens were randomly distributed to 24 floor pens (4 treatments, each consisting of 6 replicate pens; 15 chickens per pen) as a completely randomized design with 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of two levels of supplemental humate in feed (0 and 1 g/kg feed) and litter (0 and 5 g/kg litter). Growth performance, intestinal viscosity, litter quality, and incidence and severity of FPD in broilers were measured. In addition, malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels were determined in blood and footpad tissues of broilers with different FPD scores. The results revealed that there was no interaction between humate supplementation to feed and litter. Neither dietary nor litter supplementation of humate had a significant effect on growth performance, intestinal viscosity, litter quality, and occurrence of FPD. And also, MDA and SOD levels in serum and footpad tissue did not affect by either dietary or litter supplementation of humate. The presence of FPD (score 1) had no effect on MDA and SOD levels in serum, however, increased the MDA and SOD levels (P < 0.001, P = 0.001, respectively) in footpad tissue of broilers. The intestinal viscosity did not differ between FPD scores 0 and 1. In conclusion, findings of this experiment suggest that humate supplementation to feed and litter did not alleviate FPD development in broilers fed diets based on barley. In addition, the presence of FPD lesions increases the MDA and SOD levels in the footpad tissues.

Impact of amount of straw on pig and pen hygiene in partly slatted flooring systems.

BACKGROUND: Straw is a beneficial enrichment material for pigs, shown to improve welfare through reducing tail biting. Straw has previously been identified as one of the means of how to raise pigs without tail docking, through improving natural exploratory behaviour. Straw has however been linked to poor pen hygiene, making farmers reluctant to use straw and has largely not been implemented in commercial farming worldwide. Straw is a beneficial enrichment material for pigs, shown to improve welfare and reduce abnormal behaviour such as tail biting. RESULTS: This study investigates the impact of straw on pig and pen hygiene in pens with partly slatted floor in three grower and four finishing pig batches on five commercial farms (2329 pigs, 211 pens) in Sweden which were providing straw daily. Each batch was divided into two treatments; Control: 50-600 g straw/pen/day based on the farm normal straw ration; and Extra straw; (=doubled Control ration). The pens were scored based on cleanliness of the pigs, solid and slatted pen floor every second week. The pig and pen hygiene were mostly scored as clean in both treatments, overall around 1% of the observations were considered dirty/soiled. CONCLUSIONS: As very few pens or pigs were considered dirty, it was concluded that straw provision is possible without risking poor pig and pen hygiene. Few observations in this study were considered dirty regardless of amount of straw that was provided, and had likely to do with other factors in the production rather than straw ration. These results implies that straw could be used in partly slatted pens in order to improve pig environment but more research is needed to quantify the impact of other external factors related to climate (e.g. temperature, humidity, velocity).

The Flooring for Injury Prevention (FLIP) Study of compliant flooring for the prevention of fall-related injuries in long-term care: A randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: Fall-related injuries exert an enormous health burden on older adults in long-term care (LTC). Softer landing surfaces, such as those provided by low-stiffness "compliant" flooring, may prevent fall-related injuries by decreasing the forces applied to the body during fall impact. Our primary objective was to assess the clinical effectiveness of compliant flooring at preventing serious fall-related injuries among LTC residents. METHODS AND FINDINGS: The Flooring for Injury Prevention (FLIP) Study was a 4-year, randomized superiority trial in 150 single-occupancy resident rooms at a single Canadian LTC site. In April 2013, resident rooms were block randomized (1:1) to installation of intervention compliant flooring (2.54 cm SmartCells) or rigid control flooring (2.54 cm plywood) covered with identical hospital-grade vinyl. The primary outcome was serious fall-related injury over 4 years that required an emergency department visit or hospital admission and a treatment procedure or diagnostic evaluation in hospital. Secondary outcomes included minor fall-related injury, any fall-related injury, falls, and fracture. Outcomes were ascertained by blinded assessors between September 1, 2013 and August 31, 2017 and analyzed by intention to treat. Adverse outcomes were not assessed. During follow-up, 184 residents occupied 74 intervention rooms, and 173 residents occupied 76 control rooms. Residents were 64.3% female with mean (SD) baseline age 81.7 (9.5) years (range 51.1 to 104.6 years), body mass index 25.9 (7.7) kg/m2, and follow-up 1.64 (1.39) years. 1,907 falls were reported; 23 intervention residents experienced 38 serious injuries (from 29 falls in 22 rooms), while 23 control residents experienced 47 serious injuries (from 34 falls in 23 rooms). Compliant flooring did not affect odds of ≥1 serious fall-related injury (12.5% intervention versus 13.3% control, odds ratio [OR]: 0.98, 95% CI: 0.52 to 1.84, p = 0.950) or ≥2 serious fall-related injuries (5.4% versus 7.5%, OR: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.31 to 1.75, p = 0.500). Compliant flooring did not affect rate of serious fall-related injuries (0.362 versus 0.422 per 1,000 bed nights, rate ratio [RR]: 1.04, 95% CI: 0.45 to 2.39, p = 0.925; 0.038 versus 0.053 per fall, RR: 0.81, 95% CI: 0.38 to 1.71, p = 0.560), rate of falls with ≥1 serious fall-related injury (0.276 versus 0.303 per 1,000 bed nights, RR: 0.97, 95% CI: 0.52 to 1.79, p = 0.920), or time to first serious fall-related injury (0.237 versus 0.257, hazard ratio [HR]: 0.92, 95% CI: 0.52 to 1.62, p = 0.760). Compliant flooring did not affect any secondary outcome in this study. Study limitations included the following: findings were specific to 2.54 cm SmartCells compliant flooring installed in LTC resident rooms, standard fall and injury prevention interventions were in use throughout the study and may have influenced the observed effect of compliant flooring, and challenges with concussion detection in LTC residents may have prevented estimation of the effect of compliant flooring on fall-related concussions. CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to results from previous retrospective and nonrandomized studies, this study found that compliant flooring underneath hospital-grade vinyl was not effective at preventing serious fall-related injuries in LTC. Future studies are needed to identify effective methods for preventing fall-related injuries in LTC. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01618786.

Overlooked sources of Salmonella contamination in the pig production network: Slaughterhouse yard pathways and mudguards and carpets from transport trucks.

This report describes various Salmonella serovars which were found on often overlooked locations in a pig farm/slaughterhouse interface. These include slaughterhouse yard pathways and mudguards and carpets of transport trucks arriving at and departing from production sites.

Sources négligées de contamination par Salmonella dans un réseau de production de porcs: les voies de circulation de l'abattoir et les garde-boues et les tapis de cabine des camions de transport. Nous montrons ici que Salmonella, l'agent causal de la salmonellose, peut être trouvé sur des sites très inhabituels et négligés dans l'interface ferme porcine/abattoir: les voies de circulation de la cour d'abattoir, et les garde-boues et tapis des camions de transport qui arrivent et partent vers les sites de production.(Traduit par les auteurs).

The nutrition of poultry as a factor affecting litter quality and foot pad dermatitis - an updated review.

Foot pad dermatitis (FPD), a condition of inflammation and necrotic lesions on the plantar surface of the footpads, is commonly observed in fast-growing broiler chickens and turkeys. FPD negatively affects the welfare of birds, performance indices and the economic profit of poultry meat production. Nutrition is an important factor affecting water intake, excreta moisture and litter quality and, in this way, the occurrence and intensity of FPD in birds. This article reviews and discusses the recent results published in the literature on the effects of nutritional factors on litter quality and FPD severity in broiler chickens and turkeys. Literature data on the efficacy of nutritional methods on the litter quality and FPD occurrence are not consistent. However, the results of several experiments indicate that the optimal level of crude protein, biotin and electrolytes (Na, K) in the diet, as well as feed additives such as feed enzymes hydrolysating non-starch polysaccharides and organic sources of microelements (zinc), may reduce the litter moisture as well as FPD incidence and severity in broiler chickens and turkey.

A by-product of swine slaughtering as a protein source in broiler diets: effects on performance, composition of excreta, litter quality and on foot pad health.

Foot pad dermatitis (FPD) is of great concern in poultry industry, and dietary strategies are needed to improve foot pad health because of animal welfare and economic reasons. As the main factor for the development of FPD is the DM content of litter (consisting mainly of excreta; Kamphues et al., 2011), there are different dietary approaches to influence this disease pattern. In two consecutive trials, a total of 200 broilers were kept from day 7 until the 35th day of life. They were divided into four groups at each trial and fed with one of four experimental diets, based on wheat and corn mainly, but differing in the protein source: Group 1 was fed a diet with soya bean meal (SBM) as the main protein source, whereas Group 2, Group 3 and Group 4 were assigned to diets with 4, 8 and 12% of a protein-rich (66.7% CP in DM) by-product of swine slaughtering [Swine Protein Meal (SPM); in exchange for SBM]. The inclusion of 12% SPM resulted in a decreased dietary potassium content of about 3 g/kg diet (Group 1 vs. 4). Increasing dietary levels of the by-product (8 and 12%) led to lowered feed intake (Group 1 vs. 4: ~10%) and weight gain (Group 1 vs. Group 4: ~8.5%). Although highest DM contents of excreta and litter were determined in Group 4, foot pad health was not influenced positively as hypothesized. Remarkable was the observed 'stickiness' of excreta when the by-product was included in the diet at increasing levels, presumably due to the high proportion of bones in the by-product. In conclusion, substituting SBM by 4% of the by-product of swine slaughtering in broiler diets did not impair performance parameters, but led to the most favourable foot pad scores in this study.

Effect of litter quality on foot pad dermatitis, hock burns and breast blisters in broiler breeders during the production period.

Foot pad dermatitis and hock burn lesions are a form of contact dermatitis, a condition affecting skin areas in contact with unsuitable or irritating material. Contact dermatitis is a common problem, reducing the welfare of broilers, and is believed to also affect broiler breeders. However, there is very little research on contact dermatitis in breeders. This study followed the severity of foot pad lesions in broiler breeders throughout the production period. At slaughter the presence of hock burns and breast blisters was also determined. In addition, changes in litter condition over time and the impact of litter quality on foot pads were evaluated. The study was performed on 10 broiler breeder farms, including altogether 18 flocks. Foot pads of 100 hens per flock were assessed at the end of rearing period, three times during the production period, and at slaughter. Foot pad and hock lesions, as well as litter condition were scored on a 5-point scale. Litter quality was evaluated as pH, moisture and ammonia content. The condition of foot pads deteriorated towards slaughter age, with the occurrence of severe lesions reaching a maximum of 64% on average at slaughter. Hock lesions and breast blisters were rare. The litter layer became drier over time. Although poorer litter condition and wetness influenced foot pad health negatively, the effect on severe lesions was not significant. We also observed a negative effect on foot pad condition of larger slat areas. In conclusion, maintaining good litter quality alone is not enough to ensure healthy foot pads in broiler breeders.

Effect of sand and rubber surface on the lying behavior of lame dairy cows in hospital pens.

Housing lame cows in designated hospital pens with a soft surface may lessen the pain the animals feel when lying and changing position. This study investigated the effect of the lying surface on the behavior of lame cows in hospital pens. Thirty-two lame dairy cows were kept in individual hospital pens, provided with either 30-cm deep-bedded sand or 24-mm rubber mats during 24 h in a crossover design. On each surface, the lying behavior of each cow was recorded during 18 h. On deep-bedded sand, cows lay down more and changed position more often than when housed on the rubber surface. Furthermore, a shorter duration of lying down and getting up movements and a shorter duration of lying intention movements were observed. These results suggest that lame dairy cows are more reluctant to change position on rubber compared with sand, and that sand is more comfortable to lie on. Thus, deep bedding such as sand may provide better lying comfort for lame cows than an unbedded rubber surface.

Walking-Working Surfaces and Personal Protective Equipment (Fall Protection Systems). Final rule.

OSHA is revising and updating its general industry standards on walking-working surfaces to prevent and reduce workplace slips, trips, and falls, as well as other injuries and fatalities associated with walking-working surface hazards. The final rule includes revised and new provisions addressing, for example, fixed ladders; rope descent systems; fall protection systems and criteria, including personal fall protection systems; and training on fall hazards and fall protection systems. In addition, the final rule adds requirements on the design, performance, and use of personal fall protection systems. The final rule increases consistency between the general industry and construction standards, which will make compliance easier for employers who conduct operations in both industry sectors. Similarly, the final rule updates requirements to reflect advances in technology and to make them consistent with more recent OSHA standards and national consensus standards. OSHA has also reorganized the requirements and incorporated plain language in order to make the final rule easier to understand and follow. The final rule also uses performance-based language whenever possible to give employers greater compliance flexibility.

Stepping behavior and muscle activity of dairy cows on uncomfortable standing surfaces presented under 1 or 4 legs.

The comfort of dairy cattle while standing has important implications for housing design. Research has examined how cattle respond to standing surfaces by presenting options under all 4 legs or under a single leg, but no work, to date, has compared presentation methods. This study examined behavior and muscle activity when cows stood on rough floors under all 4 legs or just 1 hind leg. Three treatments were tested: smooth concrete under all 4 legs (0-ROUGH), a rough surface under all 4 legs [2cm × 2cm × 4cm trapezoidal protrusions (4-ROUGH)], and a rough surface only under 1 hind leg, with other legs on smooth concrete (1-ROUGH). Twenty-four healthy Holstein cows stood on each surface for 1h/d in a repeated-measures design. Surface electromyograms (SEMG) were used to evaluate muscle fatigue and total activity. Muscle fatigue was measured using SEMG to evaluate (1) static contractions when cows were continuously weight bearing on each hind leg, before and after 1h of standing, and (2) dynamic contractions associated with steps during 1h of standing. Behavioral measures included steps per minute, time between each consecutive step, and the latency to lie down after testing. The number of legs affected by roughness influenced both behavioral and physiological responses to flooring. Cows on 1-ROUGH stepped twice as often with the rough-treated leg and one-half as much with the hind leg on smooth concrete compared with other surfaces. Similarly, on the 1-ROUGH surface, total muscle activity was reduced in the leg on the rough surface, and muscle activity was more sustained (3× higher) in the other hind leg, suggesting that cows avoid possible discomfort under 1 leg by using muscles in the other. In the 4-ROUGH treatment, time between steps was more variable than on the other 2 treatments (coefficient of variation, 4-ROUGH: 245; 1-ROUGH: 208; 0-ROUGH: 190±5.8%), likely because cows could not move away from this uneven flooring. Thus, the method of presentation of stimuli used to evaluate comfort while standing altered the response. Stepping rate and SEMG changed when roughness was under a single leg, whereas timing between consecutive steps was more variable with rough flooring under all 4 legs. These results have implications for the design of experiments evaluating standing comfort in the future.

Evaluation of litter type and dietary coarse ground corn inclusion on broiler live performance, gastrointestinal tract development, and litter characteristics.

Two 49 d floor pen studies were conducted to evaluate the effects of litter type and dietary coarse ground corn (CC) inclusion on broiler live performance, gastrointestinal tract (GIT) development, and litter characteristics. Experiment 1 was a 2×2 factorial arrangement of 2 genders (male or female) and 2 CC levels (0 or 50%). From 15 to 35 d, the addition of CC decreased feed intake (P<0.01) and BW gain (P<0.05) of males but not females. The inclusion of CC decreased feed intake (P<0.01) and BW gain (P<0.01) from 0 to 49 d but improved adjusted feed conversion ratio (AdjFCR) from 35 to 49 d (P<0.05). Male broilers exhibited better live performance than females during the study as evidenced by greater feed intake (P<0.01) and BW gain (P<0.01), and improved FCR (P<0.01), but with increased mortality (P<0.05). The inclusion of CC increased relative gizzard weight (P<0.01) and decreased relative proventriculus weight (P<0.01) at 49 d. Experiment 2 was a 2×2 factorial arrangement of 2 CC levels (0 or 50%) and 2 litter types (ground old litter or new wood shavings litter). The inclusion of CC decreased feed intake throughout the experiment without affecting final BW when only males were used and improved FCR after 25 d (P<0.01). New litter improved FCR from 1 to 14 d (P<0.01). At 49 d, the birds fed the CC diet had reduced excreta nitrogen (P<0.05) and litter moisture (P<0.05). In conclusion, 50% CC inclusion initially produced negative effects on live performance that became positive as BW increased. The effects of CC became evident at an earlier age for males. New litter had only a marginal benefit on broiler live performance.

Fall and fracture rates following a change from carpet to vinyl floor coverings in a geriatric rehabilitation hospital. A longitudinal, observational study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether changing from 5 mm thick carpet tiles to vinyl on a concrete subfloor would alter fall or fracture rates. DESIGN: Longitudinal, observational study. SETTING: Six wards (129 beds) of a geriatric rehabilitation hospital. SUBJECTS: All inpatients during this time. INTERVENTIONS: The floor covering was changed from 5 mm carpet tiles to vinyl on these wards when they were closed for other maintenance. This occurred in stages from November 2007 to December 2009. MEASURES: Falls are routinely reported using a quality improvement event reporting form. Fall and fracture rates were calculated in the 12 months prior to and following the change in floor covering on each ward. RESULTS: There were 854 falls on the carpet tiles in the 12 months prior to the flooring change and 878 falls on the vinyl in the 12 months after (19.5 and 19.6 falls/1000 bed days, respectively, [P = 0.95] NS. Fifteen fractures occurred on carpet and 11 fractures on vinyl, [P = 0.39] NS. Using run charts there were no detectable trends in either the fall or fracture rates following the change in flooring surface. CONCLUSION: There may be no difference in fall rates or fractures on carpet or vinyl floor covering of similar thickness and subfloor type.

Influence of raised plastic floors compared with pine shaving litter on environment and Pekin duck condition.

Commercial poultry production management practices have been under increased public scrutiny driven by concerns for food safety and animal welfare. Within the United States, wood shavings and raised plastic floors are common flooring systems used in duck production. It is intuitive that each flooring type would present different management challenges influencing physical characteristics of growing ducks. This study evaluated the relationship between flooring type and duck condition during the winter. Random samples of 20 ducks from 5 predetermined areas (n = 100) were examined in commercial duck houses (n = 9, litter; n = 11, raised plastic slats). Ducks were assessed at 7, 21, and 32 d of age for eye, nostril, and feather cleanliness, feather and foot pad quality, and gait. The data were analyzed to determine the proportion of ducks with a given score. In both housing types, the proportion of 0 scores for foot pad quality improved during the production cycle (P < 0.0001). Feather hygiene declined with age in ducks reared on litter flooring, whereas ducks reared on slatted flooring had cleaner feathers at d 32 (P < 0.011). With the exception of foot pad scores, the majority of ducks had no detectable problems for any single trait. The only main effect due to flooring pertained to feather quality with the proportion of ducks having a 0 or 1 score greater in litter flooring systems than slats (P < 0.05). Overall, the condition of ducks reared, regardless of flooring system, was considered to be good.

The effect of sodium bisulfate on Salmonella viability in broiler litter.

Controlling Salmonella populations on commercial broiler grow out farms is a crucial step in reducing Salmonella contamination in processing plants. Broiler litter harbors many species of pathogenic bacteria including Salmonella. Sodium bisulfate has been shown to reduce concentration of bacteria in broiler litter. In experiments 1 and 2, sodium bisulfate was applied to broiler litter at rates that are comparable to what is commonly used by the poultry industry: 22.7, 45.4, and 68.0 kg/92.9 m(2). After application, sodium bisulfate was mixed into the litter. In experiments 3 and 4, sodium bisulfate was applied at 45.4 kg/92.9 m(2) to the surface of the litter. For all experiments, a cocktail of 5 Salmonella serovars was applied to the litter. Ammonia, pH, moisture, and water activity measurements were taken; additionally, total aerobic, anaerobic, enteric, and Salmonella concentrations were determined at 0, 24, and 96 h. In experiments 1 and 2, Salmonella concentrations were higher for treated litter than the control at 24 and 96 h (P < 0.001). In experiments 1 and 2, litter pH was lower for treated litter at 24 and 96 h; lowest pH was observed with the 68.0 kg/92.9 m(2), with a pH of 5.95 (P < 0.001). In experiments 3 and 4, litter pH was lowered for treated litter to 2.1 (P < 0.001). Even this lower pH did not reduce Salmonella concentrations compared with the control (P = 0.05). The decreased litter pH appeared to be responsible for increased viability of Salmonella. This research shows that the lowering of litter pH, which decreases litter ammonia production, could actually lead to an increased survivability of certain bacteria, such as Salmonella.

The effect of flooring on musculoskeletal symptoms in the lower extremities and low back among female nursing assistants.

This study examines the effect of changing the floor from a 2-mm homogenous vinyl floor to a 4-mm heterogeneous vinyl floor (1.5-mm wear layer and 2.5-mm foam layer) on musculoskeletal symptoms in the lower extremities and low back among nursing assistants in a geriatric care centre. A pre-post design with a reference group consisting of nursing assistants from a similar geriatric care centre was used. Follow-up measurements were carried out 12 and 24 months after the intervention by means of questionnaires. At the 1-year follow-up, the pain intensity score in the feet of the intervention group had decreased compared with the baseline value and remained statistically significant at the 2-year follow-up. The decrease in pain intensity score of the feet in the intervention group was statistically significantly different from the reference group, both after 1 and 2 years. PRACTITIONER SUMMARY: The results show the importance of flooring in the workplace with regard to reducing musculoskeletal symptoms. Appropriate flooring is especially important in the female-dominated health care sector, where workers must stand or walk for long periods.

Results of a community-university partnership to reduce deadly hazards in hardwood floor finishing.

A community-university partnership used community-based participatory research (CBPR) to design, implement, and evaluate a multi-cultural public health campaign to eliminate flammable products and reduce use of products high in volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in hardwood floor finishing in Massachusetts. Leading participants were Vietnamese-American organizations and businesses. Following the public health campaign, a multi-lingual survey of self-reported experiences with fires, product use, exposure to outreach activities, and changes made, was conducted with floor finishers. One hundred nine floor finishers responded. Over 40% reported fires at their companies' jobs, mostly caused by lacquer sealers. Over one third had heard radio or TV shows about health and safety in floor finishing, and over half reported making changes as a result of outreach. Exposure to various outreach activities was associated with reducing use of flammable products, increasing use of low-VOC products, and greater knowledge about product flammability. However, most respondents still reported using flammable products. Outreach led by community partners reached large proportions of floor finishers, was associated with use of safer products, and adds to recent work on CBPR with immigrant workers. Continued use of flammable products supports the belief that an enforceable ban was ultimately necessary to eradicate them.

Biomechanics and injury risk assessment of falls onto protective floor mats.

This study investigated the biomechanics of simulated sideways falls from various bed heights onto two types of protective floor mats. This article presents biomechanical injury criteria for evaluating the probability of sustaining injuries to the head, thorax, and pelvis. A side-impact dummy was raised to drop heights of 45.7 cm, 61.0 cm, and 76.2 cm and released. Two types of protective floor mats were evaluated and compared with impacts experienced on an unpadded, rigid floor. Results of the study demonstrated a high risk (> 50%) for serious head injury for falls onto an unpadded, rigid floor at 61.0-cm and 76.2-cm drop heights. Falls onto floor mats demonstrated significant reductions in injury risk to the head and pelvis for all drop heights. Thoracic injury risk was significantly reduced for all but the highest drop height.

Effect of pellet quality and biochar litter amendment on male turkey performance.

Bedding (litter) is essential to poultry performance and health and can have an environmental impact after use in the poultry facility such as a soil amendment or as an alternative energy source. Pine shavings are the most common bedding used for turkey production. However, the increase in its price and its increasing scarcity in some areas have created new research opportunities for reusing litter as bedding. Improvement in feed pellet quality has been reported to improve poultry performance. However, the reports for turkeys are limited and dated. This study's objective was to determine how the improvement of feed pellet quality and the use of biochar added to a combination of used turkey brooder house litter and Miscanthus grass as bedding affects turkey performance, small intestine morphology, and ammonia production. Nicolas Select (Aviagen Turkeys, Lewisburg, WV) male poults (816) were randomly assigned to 48 concrete litter floor pens on the day of hatch. The experiment used a completely randomized block design with a 2 × 4 factorial arrangement of treatments: 2 levels of fines in the feed and 4 bedding treatments. The bedding treatments were a constant level of used turkey brooder house litter combined with a varying combination of biochar and Miscanthus grass. Turkey's body weight (BW), body weight gain (BWG), feed intake (FI), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were determined. Differences in treatment means were considered to be statistically significant at P ≤ 0.05 using a mixed model in SAS 9.4. Turkeys fed the feed with improved pellet quality had a higher BW from 3 to 17 wk (17.0 ± 0.1 kg) than turkeys fed an increased abundance of fines (16.72 ± 0.1 kg). Turkeys fed feed with increased pellet quality had a lower FI (45.6 vs. 48.1 ± 0.4 kg) and improved FCR (2.20 vs. 2.31 ± 0.01) from 0 to 20 wk. Litter treatment with 20% biochar resulted in higher BW at 20 wk (20.91 ± 0.16 kg) because of increased BWG at 11 wk over the rest of the biochar levels (3.7 ± 0.1 kg). Strategies to reduce the abundance of fines in feed through feed formulation, feed manufacturing, feed transport, and in-house feed management should be considered to increase male turkeys' performance. There may be opportunities to use biochar as a litter amendment to improve turkey health and performance.

Ozone-surface reactions in five homes: surface reaction probabilities, aldehyde yields, and trends.

UNLABELLED: Field experiments were conducted in five homes during three seasons (summer 2005, summer 2006 and winter 2007) to quantify ozone-initiated secondary aldehyde yields, surface reaction probabilities, and trends any temporal over a 1.5-year interval. Surfaces examined include living room carpets, bedroom carpets, kitchen floors, kitchen counters, and living room walls. Reaction probabilities for all surfaces for all seasons ranged from 9.4 x 10(-8) to 1.0 x 10(-4). There were no significant temporal trends in reaction probabilities for any surfaces from summer 2005 to summer 2006, nor over the entire 1.5-year period, indicating that it may take significantly longer than this period for surfaces to exhibit any 'ozone aging' or lowering of ozone-surface reactivity. However, all surfaces in three houses exhibited a significant decrease in reaction probabilities from summer 2006 to winter 2007. The total yield of aldehydes for the summer of 2005 were nearly identical to that for summer of 2006, but were significantly higher than for winter 2007. We also observed that older carpets were consistently less reactive than in newer carpets, but that countertops remained consistently reactive, probably because of occupant activities such as cooking and cleaning. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Ozone reactions taking place at indoor surfaces significantly influence personal exposure to ozone and volatile reaction products. These field studies show that indoor surfaces only slowly lose their ability to react with ozone over several year time frames, and that this is probably because of a combination of large reservoirs of reactive coatings and periodic additions of reactive coatings in the form of cooking, cleaning, and skin-oil residues. When considering exposure to ozone and its reaction products and in the absence of dramatic changes in occupancy, activities or furnishings, indoor surface reactivity is expected to change very slowly.