Effect of Drinking Magnetized Water on Offensive Odour from Poultry Droppings of Broiler Chicken

Abstract

The study was conducted to assess the effect of drinking magnetized water (MW) on the offensive odour by the poultry droppings from the broiler chicken (BC). Poultry droppings in poultry farm normally give offensive odour around the area where poultry farm is sited. Drinking MW could improve the digestibility of feed and dryness of the poultry droppings thereby reducing the ammonia (NH₃), hydrogen sulphide (H₂S) and offensive odour. BCs (Arbor Acres breed) were given MW. The magnetic water treatment unit comprises a 20 by 60 mm rectangular plastic pipe and 960 mm long surrounded with 12 pieces of a 10 × 25 × 50 mm neodymium magnet rated 1.5T. The treatments were MW treated for 33 s (MW₁), MW treated for 66 s (MW₂), MW₃ was treated for 99 s and the control (non-magnetized water, NMW). A total of 80 BCs (day old) with 20 for each treatment were given MW_1, MW₂, MW₃ or NMW and monitored for 7 weeks. Samples of poultry droppings were randomly collected at 4, 5, 6 and 7 weeks. NH₃ and H₂S were analyzed using standard methods. The mean concentration of NH₃ for MW₁ varied from 13.10 × 10^-3 to 49.85 × 10^-3, MW₂ varied from 12.50 × 10^-3 to 42.64 × 10^-3, MW₃ varied from 12.43 × 10^-3 to 41.32 × 10^-3 while the corresponding values for NMW varied from 20.30 × 10^-3 to 65.13 × 10^-3 mg/L. MW₁, MW₂ and MW₃ reduced the odour by 30.65–55.73%, 52.74–62.40% and 33.42–63.31%, respectively. The effect of drinking MW was significant on the reduction of NH₃ at α ≤ 0.025. MW also reduced the concentration of H₂S in the poultry droppings. MW is recommended for producing broiler chicken to reduce offensive odour from the poultry farms.