Composition of Poultry Litters

Poultry litter is a commercially manufactured farm product used to create bedding for chicken coops, allowing chickens to have better traction on the coop floor. Using poultry litter also makes the floor of the coop more manageable for the poultry farmer. As the poultry litter becomes used, it contains chicken excrement, spilled food, feathers and other poultry waste. Farmers have begun to use this used poultry litter as a fertilizer for crops.

  1. Properties of Poultry Litters

    • Though poultry litters are typically made of scrap wood and fiber materials, these materials must have specific properties in order to be beneficial to both the chickens and the crops they later fertilize. For chickens, an absorbent material must be used so that the chicken waste does not remain too damp, which can cause bacteria buildup and illness in the chickens. The litter also provides the chickens with scratch, so using a material that encourages scratching is also important. Scratching also helps aerate the litter, making it better for fertilizing.

    Common Materials

    • Materials commonly used for poultry litter include pine and other wood shavings, the hulls of peanuts, straw, sand and shredded sugarcane. Only organic materials should be used in poultry litter that will eventually become fertilizer. Pine and wood-shaving litter can be purchased at agricultural supply stores in large bags. These wood materials are created from the waste of the milling industry. The other materials commonly used in poultry litter are also waste products that can be purchased at agricultural supply stores. Cedar shavings should never be used as poultry litter, as they can be poisonous to chickens.

    Deep Bedding

    • The process of deep bedding is commonly used when farmers harvest poultry litter for fertilizing purposes. With this process, an initial layer of bedding is spread on the coop floor. Once that liter becomes soiled, another layer is added on top of it, rather than removing the original, soiled layer. This process is repeated until the bedding is 2 to 6 feet deep, when the bedding is removed and stored for fertilizing use. Though deep bedding can be done with many of the poultry litter materials used for regular bedding, it is most commonly done with coir pith. Coir pith is a natural fiber found between the internal and external husks of coconuts. Because this fiber has natural ammonia-absorbing properties, it helps prevent unpleasant odors and lung disorders associated with deep bedding.

    Composition of Used Poultry Litters

    • Once composted on the floor of the chicken coop, the composition of poultry litter changes, as it contains not only the original organic bedding, but also chicken waste and other coop materials. The composition of used poultry litter varies based on the type of base bedding used and the length of time it is composted. Frequently, farmers will separate the deep bedding based on the coloration and nitrogen content of the feces. For instance, feces that are greener in color have more nitrogen content and thus are more beneficial to soil and plant uptake. Additional nutrients found in poultry litter include phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, zinc, boron and potassium.