Charles C. Mitchell, Jr., Extension Agronomist
James O. Donald, Extension Agricultural Engineer
John Martin, Consulting Agronomist

The Alabama poultry industry (broilers and layers) produces more
than 735 million birds a year.  These birds produce about 1.7
million tons of manure and litter.

The nutrients in this manure could adequately fertilize every acre
of corn, cotton, wheat, and sorghum produced in Alabama or 800,000
acres of bermuda or fescue pasture.*  In fact, the nitrogen (N),
phosphate (p2o5), and potash (K2o) in poultry manure represent
about 40 percent of the N, 90 percent of the P2O5, and 40 percent
of the K2O spread each year in commercial fertilizers in Alabama.

Poultry manure, if properly handled, is the most valuable of all
manures produced by livestock.  It has historically been used as a
source of plant nutrient and soil amendment.  However, in areas of
intense poultry production, excess manure represents a waste
problem for producers.

In some areas, over-fertilizing pastureland with poultry manure has
resulted in groundwater and surface water problems.  These problems
developed as excess nutrients washed off the land or leached into
groundwater supplies.

To obtain the maximum economic value of the plant nutrients in
poultry manure and to protect the water supply from excessive
nutrient run-off or leaching, apply poultry manure to match the
nutrient needs of the crop.

Nutrient Analysis
Two basic types of poultry wastes are produced in Alabama-broiler
litter and caged layer manure (Table 1).  Broiler litter, for
fertilizing purposes, includes all floor-type birds such as
broilers, pullets, and floor layers. Some type of bedding or litter
material is used on the floor of these houses.

Caged layer manure is free from litter material and generally has
a higher moisture content than manure from broiler houses.  Both
types of waste will contain feathers and some wasted food.

The chemical analysis of either type of manure is highly variable
due to several factors.  These include 
Table 1.  Estimation of Poultry Manure Production.
                                   Grow-Out       Tons
Type Of        Percent              Time          Produced
Poultry        Moisture            Interval       Per 1,000 Birds
Broilers       20                  6 to 7 weeks        2
Caged Layers   75                    1 year        35 to 44
* Based on six grow-out cycles per year on pine shavings or peanut
hull bedding.

moisture, temperature, amount and kind of litter, amount of soil
picked up in cleaning a house, the number of batches of broilers
fed on the litter, and the conditions under which the manure was
stored and handled before spreading.

Table 2 shows both the average and range of nutrient composition of
broiler litter sampled in Alabama from 1977 through 1987.  During
this 11-year period, the litter from 147 broiler houses had an
average moisture content of 19.7 percent and an average fertilizer
content on a dry-weight basis of 3.9 percent N, 3.7 percent P2O5,
and 2.5 percent K2O.

Table 2.  Nutrient Composition Of Litter (Dry-Weight Basis) From
147 Broiler Houses Sampled In Alabama, 1977-1987.
                                   Average
                                   Analysis            Range
                                   (percent)           (percent)
Moisture                           19.7                15.0 to 39.0
Nitrogen (N)                        3.9                 2.1 to  6.0
Phosphate (P2O5)                    3.7                 1.4 to  8.9
Potash (K2O)                        2.5                 0.8 to  6.2
Calcium (Ca)                        2.2                 0.8 to  6.1
Magnesium (Mg)                      0.5                 0.2 to  2.1
Sulfur (S)                          0.4                 0.01 to 0.8

In 1981, litter from two slat-breeder houses and one pullet house
and manure from two high-rise caged layer houses were analyzed for
moisture and nitrogen.  Results are given in Table 3.

The nitrogen content of litter from the pullet house was only about
one-third the nitrogen content of broiler litter (Table 2).  The
nitrogen content of litter from the slatbreeder house was about
half that of broiler litter.

Table 3.  Nitrogen Content (Dry-Weight Basis) From HighRise Caged
Layer, Pullet, And Slat-Breeder Houses In Cullman County Sampled In
July 1981.
Type Of                  Moisture            Nitrogen
Poultry House            (percent)           (percent)
Caged Layer *            63.4                1.2**
Pullet                   22.0                1.2
Slat Breeder*            16.8                2.1
* An average of two houses.
** The caged layer manure had been accumulating for about 12 months
and had lost much of the ammonium nitrogen.

Caged layer manure generally contains about 4 to 7 percent nitrogen
if collected at one to three week intervals.  However, under high-
rise houses where layer manure sometimes accumulates for long
periods of time, much of the nitrogen is lost into the air as
ammonia.  The nitrogen content of the accumulated caged layer
manure given in Table 3 was only 1.2 percent.

Moisture is perhaps the single most important variable associated
with spreading manure by the ton.  Manure from all classes of
chickens will average 70 to 77 percent moisture when excreted. 
However, broiler manure with litter dries under normal house
conditions and will average about 20 percent moisture.  Caged layer
manure will average about 70 percent moisture.

Analyses should be reported on both a dry-weight basis (oven dried)
with little moisture and on a wet-weight basis just as the sample
was taken.  Reporting on a dry-weight basis eliminates the moisture
variable when comparing manures.

When spreading manures, the moisture adds weight and can reduce the
value of the product in proportion to the moisture present (Table
4).  Be sure the value you use when spreading manure by the tone is
on a wet-weight basis or just as the manure sample was taken.

Table 4.  Estimated Analysis And Value Of Poultry Manure On A Wet-
Weight And Dry-Weight Basis (0-Percent Moisture).
                         Percent        Pounds         Value
          Percent        Nutrients      Per Ton        Per
Type      Moisture*      (N-P2O5-K2O)   (N-P2O5-K2O)   Ton**
Broiler     20           3.1-3.0-2.0    62-60-40       $33.25
Broiler     Oven-dry     3.9-3.7-2.5    78-74-50       $41.80
Caged layer 70           1.5-1.3-0.5    30-26-10       $14.20
Caged layer Oven-dry     5.0-4.3-1.7    100-86-34      $47.30
*Use the higher moisture value when buying or spreading manures as
it comes from the house.
** Calculations based on N at 25 cents per pound, P2O5 at 20 cents
per pound, and K2O at 15 cents per pound.

Nutrient Availability
Poultry manure should be managed for its N value.  However, N
availability is the most difficult of the three major nutrients to
predict.  About 25 to 30 percent of the total N in broiler litter
is in the urea and ammonium forms (Figure 1).  It is readily
available for plant uptake just as fertilizer ammonium and
fertilizer urea.

When litter analyses are run by a laboratory, the readily available
N is reported as ammonium N or NH4-N.  Fertilizer urea and manure
urea are likely to convert to ammonia gas (NH3) and then to
evaporate.

When manure has a strong ammonia odor or is spread on the surface
and not incorporated into the soil, significant nitrogen will be
lost.  As much as 75 percent of the ammonium N (22 percent of total
N) could be lost within seven days after spreading if the weather
is hot and dry and the manure is not soil-incorporated.

Of course, incorporation is not practical or even desirable in
situations such as pastureland or hay fields, and ammonium N loss
should be included in the total amount to be applied.

The organic N fraction gradually becomes available for crop uptake
as the manure decomposes.  Scientists in Virginia estimated that
for broiler litter, about 50 percent of the organic N is released
during the first year following application, 12 percent within the
second, 5 percent during the third, and 2 percent during the
fourth.

The percentages would be similar for North Alabama, but
decomposition will be somewhat faster when manure is incorporated
into the sandy soils of South Alabama.  Therefore, the total amount
of N available from manure applications is the sum of that
available from applications being made at a given time plus that
available from previous applications (residual N).

The P and K fractions are considered to be about 75 percent as
effective as commercial fertilizers during the year of application. 
However, manure applications should be based on the N requirement
of the crop because excess nitrogen can leach into groundwater or
run off into streams, creating environmental concerns.  If litter
is applied at rates that will supply the N needed by the crop,
adequate P and K are generally available.

Under frequent manure applications, P will build up in Alabama
soils to very high levels.  Potash may leach in sandy soils and
some fertilizer K applications may be necessary to meet the needs
of certain crops, particularly hay crops.

Land Application
When applying poultry manure to cropland, pastureland, and hay
fields, consider the following.

     1) Determine the nutrients in the manure or litter prior to
spreading.  An analysis by a commercial laboratory would determine
exactly how much moisture, ammonia N, organic N, and other plant
nutrients are in the sample.  This will allow you to calculate the
value of the manure and how much to spread.  If a chemical analysis
is not made, a good estimate of the fertilizer content of litter is
as follows:  A ton of broiler litter with 20-percent moisture
contains 60 pounds of nitrogen, 60 pounds of phosphate, and 40
pounds of potash.  However, keep in mind that stored litter can
change over time unless it is protected, and an analysis may take
as long as two weeks.

     2) Determine the nutrients needed by the crop to be grown. 
Soil testing provides the best estimate of residual P and K in the
soil and other soil amendments (e.g., lime) that should be applied
for optimum yields and nutrient use efficiency.  Recommended N
rates are given for each crop on the soil test report.  Exceeding
the recommended rates by more than 30 percent could result in
excessive N leaching in some soils or the potential for surface
run-off into streams.

     3) Estimate the availability of N in the manure.  The
calculate a rate of application that is consistent with the
requirements from the soil test report (see Circular ANR -244a,
"Worksheet For Calculating Poultry Waste").

Other Recommendations
Reducing ammonium odors.  To conserve N in poultry manure and to
reduce the ammonia odor and associated N loss, apply superphosphate
at the rate of 100 pounds per ton of manure in the house.  The
phosphate will trap the ammonia as ammonium phosphate, and it will
increase the fertilizer value of the final litter.  Fermentation
losses in broiler litter may be reduced by using litter materials
which rapidly dry the manure.  The most effective means of reducing
N losses is to dry the manure in the poultry house.

Adding hydrated lime.  Hydrated lime (calcium hydroxide) will help
maintain good litter condition and reduce fly problems.  However,
it will also increase ammonia volatilization and N loss.  Do no use
it when the ammonia level in the house is high.  Use lime at the
rate of 50 pounds per 1,000 square feet of floor space.

Outside storage problems.  Manure stored outside and exposed to the
weather will decompose rapidly.  An ashy gray appearance indicates
a loss of nutrient value.  The N and organic matter will be
greatly reduced and K may be lost due to leaching.  You get maximum
fertilizer value when manure or litter is protected from the
weather.

N-use efficiency.  Where excess quantities of manure must be
disposed of on the land, choose a system to maximize N uptake by a
crop.  Row crops are poor users of soil N because of limited root
systems.  Corn or cotton may take up only 50 to 60 percent of the
N applied.  Grasses, such as hybrid bermudagrasses, produce large
amounts of dry matter and are efficient N users.  As much as 90
percent of the applied N could be recovered by a good bermudagrass
sod.

Cool-season grasses are not quite as efficient because most of
their growth is in the early spring.  The mineral N in manure
applied in the summer and winter to cool-season crops such as tall
fescue may be lost through leaching.  Apply manure to crops to
maximize N uptake and N-use efficiency.  Harvest excess forage
frequently to remove the N from the land.  These practices will
minimize potential surface and groundwater contamination from
excess N applied in manure.

CIRCULAR ANR-244

Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work in agriculture
and home economics, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation
with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  The Alabama Cooperative
Extension Service, Auburn University, Ann E. Thompson, Director,
offers educational programs and materials to all people without
regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age, or handicap and
is an equal opportunity employer.         CP, 5M08m 10:89, ANR-244