Chicken Litter a Viable By-Product of Industry
by March 4, 2002 12:00 am 72 views
To hear some groups tell it, polluted waters are caused by chicken waste. One poultry industry official said such comments are “bull crap.” Actually, it’s chicken manure.
Chicken litter does contain high levels of phosphorus, which causes algae to grow. But the poultry industry is actually one of the few contributors to phosphorus run-off that is doing anything about the cause.
Tyson Foods of Springdale requires its contract chicken farmers to develop on-farm nutrient management plans. They must work with the National Resources Conservation Service or another qualified group, developing plans that specify how litter can be responsibly applied.
About 99.5 percent of Tyson’s farmers are contract growers.
Chicken litter contains the chicken waste (droppings) as well as rice hulls or pine shavings for the bedding in the chicken houses. What happens with the litter is left up to the individual farmer. But with a large percentage of poultry farmers doubling as cattle farmers, the litter often ends up being used as fertilizer on the same farm land for hay and forage crops. It’s a big cost-saving measure when the farmer does not have to purchase a commercial fertilizer.
The trouble starts — at least in the minds of city officials in Tulsa and members from groups such as the Sierra Club — when the litter runs off eventually into water routes. Poultry officials argue that cattle are literally in the creeks and tributaries at the farms while the chicken farms are much more contained.
Research has shown that about one-third of the agricultural pollution is caused by animal waste runoff from feedlots, holding areas and pastures.
There are a number of ways phosphorus can end up in the watersheds from animal waste. Some enters the water streams from a non-point source such as rainwater washing away the waste. A point source is litter run-off reaching streams via such routes as water pipes and wells.
When waste reaches surface waters it reduces oxygen and can endanger aquatic life. Phosphorus produces excessive algae growth, which in turn can cause odors and an unpleasant taste.
The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service said poultry litter is a natural soil amendment that can enhance crop production more than a mineral fertilizer. Cattlemen who do not have poultry houses often purchase the litter from those farmers.
The Extension Service also notes that dry manure has a higher nutrient density and can be hauled greater distances than liquid manures with fewer economic hardships.
The UA offers free soil testing services.