Chicken litter wait time?

[trykining]

After a light application of chicken litter to existing pasture,(not seeding) how long before you wait before you graze it?

 

[mtncows]

I would wait until after some good rains so the litter would have time to get into the ground and toward the roots.Probably have less chance of coccidiosis.Make sure you are feeding magnesium to brood cows.

 

[Herefordcross]

YEP! it's the magnesium time of year again

 

[Green Creek]

Since we are contemplating using turkey litter next year, I Googled coccidiosis in beef cattle and read that there are many different types and they do not cross species. To me that means chicken manure will not pass coccidiosis to cattle.

 

[EIEIO]

Green Creek, if you think chicken litter stinks just wait till you put some turkey litter down!

Regarding grazing time, I used to live in NW Arkansas and had neighbors that would feed their cattle chicken litter mixed with crappy hay. Guess the protein content of the litter was over 16% so I'd not be real concerned about keeping the cattle off what you have spread it on. I never had a problem letting the cattle graze pastures that had fresh litter on them.

Soon as I see a bit of green the mag. goes out here. Never had tetany in a herd and don't want to.

Any vet I've ever talked with said the litter being fed to cattle won't cause a problem but to me I think that it is just plain wrong. Most the folks that did it had chicken houses so they got "free" feed.

Chicken litter will vary in strength depending on how long if any it has been composted so guess I'm saying your results will vary. I liked using it but don't have access to it here. Was hearing stories about Tyson's and other places getting the feeding down to such a science that the litter was not what it once was cause it was being used up so efficiently by the birds. Don't know if that is true or not but sounds like it could be.

Concerns about using litter is it can burn your grass but that will end just as soon as it rains. Love the litter cause it just sits there waiting for a rain and it adds organic matter to your pastures. Most of the better pastures in NW Arkansas were built on the stuff.

J

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

IMO feeding chicken litter (manure, s**t) to livestock is the bottom end of the feeding program. Bound to be something more "safe" and palatable for those people to use. It costs $$ to feed livestock properly.

Put the chicken s**t on your gardens, till it in, and grow some vegetables...

;-)

 

[bigbull338]

IMO feeding chicken litter (manure, s**t) to livestock is the bottom end of the feeding program. Bound to be something more "safe" and palatable for those people to use. It costs $$ to feed livestock properly.

Put the chicken s**t on your gardens, till it in, and grow some vegetables...

;-)

when you spread chicken litter on pastures.you can keep letting the cows graze the pastures.unless you feed your cows litter.an then you need to lock them out of the pasture your spreading it on.because they will eat it as fast as you spread it.litter as fed is about 16 to 18% protine.

 

[Bez>]

We do not use litter - but wife ships 30,000 birds a week to the processor - so here is what happens to the litter she gets rid of.

The local farmer takes this litter (for free) and stockpiles it - letting it compost for maximum effect - then WORKS it into the ground - for corn and bean crops.

I personally would never place it on the pastures because there is too much chance to ingest the litter while grazing.

2 important things about litter.

1. Good operators pick up the deads every day - but in a large operation some are inevitably missed. This can create a situation where the cow can ingest portions of dead birds, ie - feathers, small pieces of internal organs, blood or actual meat.

2. Chicken feed and turkey feed can and usually do carry animal by-products. It is inevitable that this if placed on pasture will be ingested by the cow.

Both of the above in my opinion violate the law and the spirit of the law of not providing animal by products to cattle feed.

Want to put it in the ground as fertilizer? I have no problem with that - the N from this manure will help lower fertilizer costs and in fact helps the ground in my opinion because of the other ingredients ie: straw.

Anyone who places litter on pasture is contributing to the potential of BSE in my opinion. I would NEVER buy those animals and I would NEVER knowingly eat those animal.

I would NEVER sell those animals to a client and I KNOW that if my clients knew about this they would leave me in a heart beat.

For that matter I would never do this so I would never have to think about it.

In my opinion litter on pastures should be outlawed as an illegal method of fertilizing - close as d@mn is to swearing to feeding litter straight to the cow.

In fact to do this in Canada would land the entire herd in lock up.

JMO

Bez>

 

[Stepper]

Hey i am here to tell you chicken litter is great fertlizer.(not feed but fertlizer). It is a common practice where ever you find large chicken farming practices to use it on pastures. It is better than commerical fertlizer because it helps build the soil up and a little cheaper but not a whole lot.

And it is harder to get sometimes compared to commerical fertlizer. Most people who you will find that will bad mouth the use of it as a fertlizer probably have very little experience using it. And the reason for that is probably because they dont have much access to enough of it to use on very big meadows.

Here in my location and for miles in every direction alot of the farmers are both chicken farmers and cattle farmers. The reason for that is they have all of that chicken litter from there chicken houses when they clean them out before starting on growing a new batch of chickens. They can spread it on pastures and grow some of the best quality hay possible. Then feed it to their cattle.

And if it was harmful to use it as fertlizer the goverment would not alow this practice to go on. But actually the goverment ( county extenison agents, USDA ) incourrage the use of it.

And i can see how people who has no experience with the use of it as fertlizer would be scared of using it. But I can tell you from experience it is a great fertlizer and it is used wide spread in the U.S. (And keep in mind the U.S. is the number one supper power on this little plannet we all live on.) And in this great country we live in. I dont think our goverment would steer us wrong. ;-)

At one time people did feed chicken litter to their cattle and that is now against the law to do that. There is a big difference in feeding litter to cattle and using it as fertlizer. As a matter of fact there is a process you have to go through to get cattle to eat just straight litter.( and i mean them eating it like grain or hay not nibbling arround on just a little bit of it here and there.)

 

[Bez>]

Stepper wrote:

Hey i am here to tell you chicken litter is great fertlizer.(not feed but fertlizer). It is a common practice where ever you find large chicken farming practices to use it on pastures. It is better than commerical fertlizer because it helps build the soil up and a little cheaper but not a whole lot.

And it is harder to get sometimes compared to commerical fertlizer. Most people who you will find that will bad mouth the use of it as a fertlizer probably have very little experience using it. And the reason for that is probably because they dont have much access to enough of it to use on very big meadows.

Here in my location and for miles in every direction alot of the farmers are both chicken farmers and cattle farmers. The reason for that is they have all of that chicken litter from there chicken houses when they clean them out before starting on growing a new batch of chickens. They can spread it on pastures and grow some of the best quality hay possible. Then feed it to their cattle.

And if it was harmful to use it as fertlizer the goverment would not alow this practice to go on. But actually the goverment ( county extenison agents, USDA ) incourrage the use of it.

And i can see how people who has no experience with the use of it as fertlizer would be scared of using it. But I can tell you from experience it is a great fertlizer and it is used wide spread in the U.S. (And keep in mind the U.S. is the number one supper power on this little plannet we all live on.) And in this great country we live in. I dont think our goverment would steer us wrong. ;-)

At one time people did feed chicken litter to their cattle and that is now against the law to do that. There is a big difference in feeding litter to cattle and using it as fertlizer. As a matter of fact there is a process you have to go through to get cattle to eat just straight litter.( and i mean them eating it like grain or hay not nibbling arround on just a little bit of it here and there.)

I will include a comment from above:

bigbull338 wrote:

unless you feed your cows litter.an then you need to lock them out of the pasture your spreading it on.because they will eat it as fast as you spread it.litter as fed is about 16 to 18% protine.

I am well aware that chicken litter is still fed to cattle in the U.S. of A. - and you can search for it here on this board and folks will tell you about how they feed it - whether that is legal or not I cannot state - but it is still common practise in some areas.

I am also well aware of the practical uses for litter as fertilizer. In fact I helped my neighbour spread several hundred tonnes of it two years or so ago.

I am simply stating that it should not be used as pasture fertilizer due to the potentials I mentioned. Valid reasons as well.

I have been subjected to many slurs and arrows as a Canadian producer due to the problems we have had in this country.

Due to this BSE - literally a crisis - you will never see litter used as a pasture fertilizer or as a feed in Canada again. In fact it is now illegal to use as fertilizer unless strictly used on grain crops.

It is too large a risk and I would ask you this - if you were selling direct - would you advertise this? Clients in the know would likely run.

As you say - you are the number one "super (supper) power" and I know - I worked with U.S. Army Special Forces as a "consultant" for a long time - good work if you can take the risks. But that has no bearing on this topic.

But I would tell you that I do not have one oita of faith in your USDA - no more than our own CFIA - and I am not stating this because of reasons you might think - fact is litter is dangerous and sooner or later you will see this ruling changed.

I will also bet if foreign clients find this out you will see yet again more trouble with your export makets. They certainly had a bird (pardon the pun) when a couple of bone chips were found in a box of meat.

In closing - you make the comment about nibbling. I respond to that by saying all it takes is one wrong nibble and you are in trouble.

Bad stuff and bad policy does not make for good ag produce.

Spoke my piece - over to you for follow up. I am out of this one - this is why I eat my own animals.

Bez>

 

[Sir Loin]

Bez,
Re:

The local farmer takes this litter (for free) and stockpiles it - letting it compost for maximum effect - then WORKS it into the ground - for corn and bean crops.

FREE?? Around here they sell it! Where are you, I got the trucks all fuel up.

 

[Stepper]

Bez,

I am not throwing any slurrs at you at all. As a matter of fact i have learned alot of things about cattle from your post. And i think you are a very knowledgible cattleman.

I just feel differently than you do about the use of chicken litter as fertlizer( we simply disagree). And there is nothing wrong with us having a different oppinion.

If i was affraid of using chicken litter as much as you are i would not use it either. :lol: But i am not the least little bit affraid of its use. I have eaten alot of beef that was raised off of hay that had been fertlized with chicken/turkey litter. And am not the least little be worried about it. As a matter of fact i have a beef i am growing out to put in my freezer as i type this reply in now. And it will be raised entirely on hay & pasture that has been fertlized with chicken litter. :lol:

And the point i was tring to make about the good ole U.S. of A. being a world supper power. :lol: Was that it did not get to be the worlds number one most powerful Nation on earth by allowing U.S. farmers to carry on unsafe farming practices (like using chicken/turkey litter) to grow beef and other types of food for its citizens. 8) If it was an unsafe farming practice our goverment would not allow it to go on.

I agree with you to that our USDA does have its faults. :lol: But i promise you the good ole U.S. of A. holds its own when it comes to growing beef. :lol:

And as far as worrying about exporting beef hurting our cattle market. I am like any other red blooded American. I wont lose jsut a whole heck of alot of sleep over it. ;-)

I myself am more concerned about the beef and other products that are imported into the U.S. than of being posioned by U.S. grown beef. As of a matter of fact Old Timer just posted an article about 8000 head of Canadian beef that is quaranteened for BSE just recently. Now you tell me what was thoes things feed ? ;-)

And i agree with you to i would not want to eat a beef that was feed chicken litter. And you said you knew for a fact that you know of that going on here in the U.S. ? I wish i knew where that is going on at ? You apparently have better contacts than i do and i live in the heart of the U. S. I would guess though with you making such a statement that you must come to the U.S. frequently and know some farmers who feed straight chicken litter to their cattle ?

I am not calling you a lier but i dont go on hear say much myself. I go on just facts. Proof is in the pudding as the old saying goes. ;-) And something like that would spread like wild fire arround here. Not saying that is dosent happen but that could happen anywhere in the world also. But i think here in the U.S. word would have got arround for it to be happening in a sizeible amount. 8)

 

[Bez>]

Bez,
Re:

The local farmer takes this litter (for free) and stockpiles it - letting it compost for maximum effect - then WORKS it into the ground - for corn and bean crops.

FREE?? Around here they sell it! Where are you, I got the trucks all fuel up.

You have to go to Canada to get it and yes it is given away because cattlemen in Canada no longer use it and the cost of removal is high.

Bez>

 

[Stepper]

Sir Loin,

Hey when you head up there give me a call so i can follow you. :lol: If they are giving that stuff away for free i want my share to. :lol:

 

[Bez>]

Bez,

I am not throwing any slurrs at you at all. As a matter of fact i have learned alot of things about cattle from your post. And i think you are a very knowledgible cattleman.

I just feel differently than you do about the use of chicken litter as fertlizer( we simply disagree). And there is nothing wrong with us having a different oppinion.

If i was affraid of using chicken litter as much as you are i would not use it either. :lol: But i am not the least little bit affraid of its use. I have eaten alot of beef that was raised off of hay that had been fertlized with chicken/turkey litter. And am not the least little be worried about it. As a matter of fact i have a beef i am growing out to put in my freezer as i type this reply in now. And it will be raised entirely on hay & pasture that has been fertlized with chicken litter. :lol:

And the point i was tring to make about the good ole U.S. of A. being a world supper power. :lol: Was that it did not get to be the worlds number one most powerful Nation on earth by allowing U.S. farmers to carry on unsafe farming practices (like using chicken/turkey litter) to grow beef and other types of food for its citizens. 8) If it was an unsafe farming practice our goverment would not allow it to go on.

I agree with you to that our USDA does have its faults. :lol: But i promise you the good ole U.S. of A. holds its own when it comes to growing beef. :lol:

And as far as worrying about exporting beef hurting our cattle market. I am like any other red blooded American. I wont lose jsut a whole heck of alot of sleep over it. ;-)

I myself am more concerned about the beef and other products that are imported into the U.S. than of being posioned by U.S. grown beef. As of a matter of fact Old Timer just posted an article about 8000 head of Canadian beef that is quaranteened for BSE just recently. Now you tell me what was thoes things feed ? ;-)

And i agree with you to i would not want to eat a beef that was feed chicken litter. And you said you knew for a fact that you know of that going on here in the U.S. ? I wish i knew where that is going on at ? You apparently have better contacts than i do and i live in the heart of the U. S. I would guess though with you making such a statement that you must come to the U.S. frequently and know some farmers who feed straight chicken litter to their cattle ?

I am not calling you a lier but i dont go on hear say much myself. I go on just facts. Proof is in the pudding as the old saying goes. ;-) And something like that would spread like wild fire arround here. Not saying that is dosent happen but that could happen anywhere in the world also. But i think here in the U.S. word would have got arround for it to be happening in a sizeible amount. 8)

Look I am sure you are a decent character - but I do come to the U.S. of A. regularly - I do visit cattle operations sometimes and here are a few sources for proof. I usually make a statement that can be backed up - I also am quite willing to take something back if I am proved wrong - prove me wrong and I will gladly retract.

There is a complete ton upon ton of information regarding feeding chicken litter to cattle and it is NOT illegal yet to my knowledge.

One from a university - one from a newspaper and three discussions from CT for your reading pleasure - I can get a whole bunch more if you really need it - but you are quite capable of searching as am I.

Enjoy.

Bez>

http://www.wvu.edu/~agexten/forglvst/rations.htm

http://www.nwanews.com/bcdr/Agriculture/38361/

http://cattletoday.com/forum/viewtopic. ... 38&start=0

http://cattletoday.com/forum/viewtopic. ... ken+litter

http://cattletoday.com/forum/viewtopic. ... 06&start=0

 

[Bez>]

Sir Loin,

Hey when you head up there give me a call so i can follow you. :lol: If they are giving that stuff away for free i want my share to. :lol:

I would bet you a buck the border folks would have an issue with you transporting chicken litter across an international boundary - especially importing it.

Bez>

 

[Sir Loin]

Benz,
Re:

You have to go to Canada to get it and yes it is given away because cattlemen in Canada no longer use it and the cost of removal is high.

You are sitting on a gold mine and you don't even know it.
It I were you, I would screen it and put it in a kitchen compacter and see what the bail weighs. Then see what tractor trailer load weighs then drive across the boarded and sell it by the bail just like they do with marijuana.

If it works go big.
Screen it and pelletize it and sell it by the trailer load or rail car.
I'll check and see how far north our trucks run north and come back empty.
I'll get back to ya..

 

[Sir Loin]

Benz,

I would bet you a buck the border folks would have an issue with you transporting chicken litter across an international boundary - especially importing it.

Well you'll never know untill you try.
Call them up and ask them.
If they say its a problem ask them if you sanatize it will it then be OK.
And don't use the words "chicken littler" say chicken based fertilizer. Say: It's from prossesed chicken waste.

 

[Stepper]

The newspaper Article stated that it was something that cattle farmers had done in the past 30 years during times of drought and hard winters.

Past is the key word there. And the article did state that it was legal according to that newspaper. Which one thing you would know about the U.S. media they can and do turn a moe hill into a mountain. So that article holds very little salt with me. All that showed me was a farmer who like alot of other farmers here in the U.S. last summer was desprate in tring to find a way to hang onto his cattle.

And as far as that study from the university goes. Well that is just it a study, experiment. I am sure in your country if you look into it there are universitys who done the same studys and figured out that you can feed manure to animals. Which that should not have been a big discovery. That has been going on for millions of years. :lol: I mean does a cow not eat the afterbirth after it has a calf ? :lol:

What i am getting at it is not a common practice here to feed chicken litter to cattle. That is what i would like for you to show me. Where here in the U.S. is it a common practice to feed cattle chicken/turkey litter. And i dont mean the times that some farmer has feed it back when say we were in a historical drought like last summer ?

And the three discussion that you brought up that was talked about in CT were not no more proof of anything than what you and i are talking about now. There was one guy who said he had been supplementing his cattle chicken litter during the drought. :lol:

What i am talking about is a common farming practice that goes on everyday. Not something that is done out of desperation. (drought, harsh winter what ever)

And even in the newspaper article the was checking into it to see if it was still legal to do or not. And it said it had been tabled with the FDA since 2002. So it is not common knowledge that it is a legal practice. And if you went arround here most farmers would tell you it is ilegal to feed it to cattle. :lol:

And like Sir Loin told you if you are giving your chicken litter away and you have an unlimited supply or access to it. You are diffinately sitting on a gold mine. You could probably make way more off of it than cattle. ;-)

If it was so harmful like you think it is why would row crop farmers use it on their feilds ? :lol: Thoes beans, wheat, whatever crop that chicken litter was used to fertlizer is using the same nutrients to grow thoes crops that will make it back in some way shape or form for human consumption. The same way it would by using it to fertlize grass for cattle. :lol:

But yeah if you can find me a place here in the U.S. where they are doing that as a common everyday practice. And i am being specific, i dont mean little articles or studys that have been done in the past or where like in the newspaper article where the farmer wanted to know wether or not it was legal. I would diffinately like to see it. And if possible go see and talk with the owner operators in person to get a better perspective on this subject. 8)

 

[Bez>]

The newspaper Article stated that it was something that cattle farmers had done in the past 30 years during times of drought and hard winters.

Past is the key word there. And the article did state that it was legal according to that newspaper. Which one thing you would know about the U.S. media they can and do turn a moe hill into a mountain. So that article holds very little salt with me. All that showed me was a farmer who like alot of other farmers here in the U.S. last summer was desprate in tring to find a way to hang onto his cattle.

And as far as that study from the university goes. Well that is just it a study, experiment. I am sure in your country if you look into it there are universitys who done the same studys and figured out that you can feed manure to animals. Which that should not have been a big discovery. That has been going on for millions of years. :lol: I mean does a cow not eat the afterbirth after it has a calf ? :lol:

What i am getting at it is not a common practice here to feed chicken litter to cattle. That is what i would like for you to show me. Where here in the U.S. is it a common practice to feed cattle chicken/turkey litter. And i dont mean the times that some farmer has feed it back when say we were in a historical drought like last summer ?

And the three discussion that you brought up that was talked about in CT were not no more proof of anything than what you and i are talking about now. There was one guy who said he had been supplementing his cattle chicken litter during the drought. :lol:

What i am talking about is a common farming practice that goes on everyday. Not something that is done out of desperation. (drought, harsh winter what ever)

And even in the newspaper article the was checking into it to see if it was still legal to do or not. And it said it had been tabled with the FDA since 2002. So it is not common knowledge that it is a legal practice. And if you went arround here most farmers would tell you it is ilegal to feed it to cattle. :lol:

And like Sir Loin told you if you are giving your chicken litter away and you have an unlimited supply or access to it. You are diffinately sitting on a gold mine. You could probably make way more off of it than cattle. ;-)

If it was so harmful like you think it is why would row crop farmers use it on their feilds ? :lol: Thoes beans, wheat, whatever crop that chicken litter was used to fertlizer is using the same nutrients to grow thoes crops that will make it back in some way shape or form for human consumption. The same way it would by using it to fertlize grass for cattle. :lol:

But yeah if you can find me a place here in the U.S. where they are doing that as a common everyday practice. And i am being specific, i dont mean little articles or studys that have been done in the past or where like in the newspaper article where the farmer wanted to know wether or not it was legal. I would diffinately like to see it. And if possible go see and talk with the owner operators in person to get a better perspective on this subject. 8)

Fair enough - got no dog here I guess.

Chicken litter is not used as cattle feed in the U.S. and I was wrong.

As for shipping it - perhaps - wife cleans a barn every week.

Bez>