Impact of calcium hydroxide and ammonium sulphate application during downtime and its influence on coccidial oocyst load and broiler performance under deep litter system: A field study

Coccidiosis remains a persistent problem in broiler production under deep litter systems due to the high resistance of sporulated Eimeria oocysts to routine disinfectants. A field trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of calcium hydroxide combined with ammonium sulphate applied during downtime on environmental oocyst load and broiler performance. This study was carried out using 5,000 Vencobb 430Y straight-run broiler chicks (2,500 birds per shed) over a five-week period. Two sheds were evaluated: a negative control (NC) without chemical treatment and a treated shed (T1) disinfected using calcium hydroxide and ammonium sulphate during downtime. Weekly performance parameters and litter oocyst per gram (OPG) counts were recorded. The treated shed showed a marked reduction in oocyst load (p