Instructions
Quantify the amount of broiler litter in the facility. Weigh a portion of the litter and extrapolate the total weight based either on square footage or on established average tonnage for the number of birds in the house. Weigh the sample on a moisture balance scale to determine the moisture content. Subtract the moisture content from the sample weight to get the dry matter reading.
Burn the litter in a high temperature muffle furnace. The ash residue is where the litter minerals are found. Weigh the ash and calculate the result as a percentage of the dry matter weight. Subtract the ash percentage from 100, and divide this difference by 1.8. This gives you the carbon content percentage of the litter.
Bring a sample of the ash to the county extension office for a measure of nitrogen content. While there are methods to obtain this figure on your own, the county agent can save you time and expense.
Divide the carbon content by the nitrogen content to calculate the carbon to nitrogen ratio. A figure ranging between 15 and 25 allows for acceptable composting. Otherwise, the material will not reach a high enough temperature and it will release too much ammonia into the atmosphere. Add more carbon-rich bedding, such as sawdust or cedar shavings, to the litter if the ratio is too low.
Test another sample of the litter for moisture content. 45 percent is the optimal reading. Too far below that figure will result in insufficient heat for first stage composting and high ammonia levels in future flocks. By contrast, too high a percentage will cause inconsistencies in density and difficulty when spreading it for future bedding. Add needed water by inserting spray directly into the mass.
Apportion the mass into piles or rows, a process known as windrowing. Limit the windrows between 2 1/2 to 4 feet in height. Confirm a consistent density throughout each windrow, breaking up areas that appear packed.
Check and record the temperatures at the center of each windrow on a daily basis. The chemical reactions inherent in composting need a temperature near 150 degrees. After five or six days, the internal temperature will cool to around 135 degrees. Turn over the mass at this point, combining the piles and then repeating the windrow process.
Test the piles again after 24 hours: 150 degree temperatures should be attained. Leave the piles for six days and then spread the entire mass for drying. Use the compost for fertilizer or a new flock's bedding.
How to Dispose of a Broiler's Manure
For anyone in charge of a broiler chicken operation, manure management consumes a large amount of time. Balancing commercial efficiency with poultry health and environmental regulations is a sometimes delicate task, requiring a knowledge of legal ordinances, avian biology and economic realities. In regions where broiler production is centered, these considerations become all the more important, because the competition is greater, the facilities larger and the ecological impact heavier. Since the Clean Water Act amendment of 1987 spotlighted animal waste as a non-point source of pollution, the proper disposal of poultry manure has occupied scientists at land-grant universities. Composting litter -- the mix of manure and bedding material -- for later use is a method that many researchers find attractive.