K-State Research and ExtensionKansas State University

Poultry Litter Management

Keith MartinAgriculture Agent

Wildcat Extension District

What is Poultry Litter?• Manure and bedding material

– sawdust, wood shavings, rice hulls, etc. • Returns soil nutrients and organic matter

• Builds soil fertility and quality

• Slowly releases nutrients

• Liming effect

Why the increased interest?• OK and AR heavy poultry

production• Greater restrictions on

application of poultry litter in Arkansas & OK.

• Available cropland and pastureland in Kansas

Averages have very little to do with the litter applied on your farm

• Sources of variability– Type of bird– Number of flocks– Type of bedding– Type of cleanout– Fresh litter– Stored litter

Sampling• You should always have litter sampled– How much value are you really getting?

– Moisture content can vary greatly Keith Martin

Interpreting Lab Results

• The nutrient results need to be converted from percent to pounds per wet ton basis, and phosphorus and potassium need to be converted to P205 and K20 fertilizer basis.

• Nitrogen 3.2% X 20 64 lb/ton• P205 1.5% X 20 X2.27 68 lb/ton• K2O 2.1% X 20 X1.2 50 lb/ton

48 Samples “As Is”• Nitrogen

– 68% 36 – 68– 95% 20 – 84

• Phosphorous– 68% 37 - 79– 95% 17 - 99

• Potassium– 68% 28 – 58– 95% 13 - 73

• Value– $39 – $71– $23 - $88

Other Nutrients

• Availability similar to commercial fertilizer

• P & K in inorganic and organic form

– Litter is very high in P and K (Relative to manures)

– ~ 90% available for long-term plant uptake

• Additional plant nutrients in poultry litter– S, Zn, Fe, Cu, Ca, Mg

• Additional plant nutrients in poultry litter– Sulfur and Zinc are potentially deficient and of some value to forages

– Many of the other micronutrients are plentiful in the soil and of less value (Fe, Cu, Ca, Mg)

S: $0.25/lbZn: $0.56/lb

Value of Additional Nutrients

Average High Low

Nutrient Lb/ton $ Lb/ton $ Lb/ton $

Sulfur 13.6 $3.43 24.8 $6.25 5.6 $1.41

Zinc 0.9 $0.50 2.0 $1.12 0.4 $0.24

Bob Woods, OSU

Importance of Moisture Content

1. Affects the hauling cost.2. Moisture above about 35% is quite wet and

may require special equipment. Unstable manure can heat up or produce flammable gases.

3. Litter much dryer than 20% moisture may be dusty and abrasive to equipment.

(Zhang, Smolen, and Hamilton PT 2002-24)

What about Nitrogen?• About 80% is in organic material and must be

mineralized before it is available to crop– Usually 25% - 50% is mineralized 1st year

Poultry litter N availability (Assume 55lb N/ton)

Year after application

Surface application

Lbs N/ton availability

1st Year 50% 22 lbs

2nd Year 12% 5 lbs

3rd Year 6% 3 lbs

What about Nitrogen?• About 20% or (11 lbs/ton) of the nitrogen is

inorganic NH4– Readily available to plant, but some is subject to losses

Manure Ammonia Volatilization

Other Litter Quality Criteria

1. Consistency of the manure affects the type of equipment needed to handle, process, or apply it to the land.

2. Bedding type: rice hulls are preferred to either wheat straw or wood shavings.

3. Treatments such as alum may lower the phosphorus availability to plants, reducing its value. Therefore, it may not be suitable for P deficient fields.

4. Other foreign objects can damage equipment. (Zhang, Smolen, and Hamilton PT 2002-24)

BMP’s for Poultry Litter

• KS is currently not regulated for litter storage and application and following BMP’s can help keep it that way

• We will need to be conscientious on our handling and spreading of litter– Odor– Surface runoff of nutrients into our water supply

Average Phosphorus concentrations in surface runoff after turkey litter or fertilizer applications on cropland

Ortho-P Bioavailable-P Total-P

Control 0.05 0.05 0.17

Lbs/a

Fertilizer 5.10 4.27 5.63

Litter-N based 12.54 10.19 13.51

Litter-P based 2.09 1.72 2.42

Litter-P based, CT 0.68 0.62 1.22

LSD (0.20) 6.80 5.62 7.66

• Base application rates on P not N– Many crops will need supplemental nitrogen

Phosphorus Runoff

Sweeney and Pierzynski

Litter Applications

• Separation of 35 ft from surface water on grasslands– Cropland 100 ft separation unless grass buffer

• Do not apply to land with steep slopes• Although no separation regulation on application

distances from residence– Away form residence (1/4 - 1/2 mile separation)– Wind direction

• Avoid applying litter to those fields that frequently flood

• Because of high Phosphorus loads in poultry litter, make applications based on P needs not Nitrogen

Litter Stockpiling• Stockpile litter at least 200 feet away from “Waters

of the State”

200 feetLITTER WASTE

STREAM

Waters of the State = any watercourse, channel, stream, river, lake, or road ditch

Litter Stockpiling

• Avoid stockpiling litter near homes• Use tarps on litter piles to keep litter dry, reduce

smell, and reduce N losses from volatilization• Regardless, expect N loss over time

– compost ~50% loss– stockpile ~10 – 20%

• Stockpile litter at least 200 feet away from “Waters of the State”– Alan Sharp, KDHE: 620-431-2390

Stockpiling Considerations

• Slope of site• Slope from site to water• Distance to water• Time stored• Amount stored• Buffer size and ground cover

Should you use poultry litter?

• It depends– Cost of Litter– Litter Analysis– Do you soil test and fertilize accordingly– Will you utilize Increased Nutrient Levels– Hassle factor– Environmental Concerns– Neighbors– Can you get it applied accurately

Questions?

ContactKeith Martin

(620) 784-5337(620) 252-5247

rkmartin@ksu.edu