chicken litter

[TexasBred]

I "think" it all depends on what they are fed. Just my personal opinion. In my area broiler usually tests out to be the lesser.

And broiler ration is typically much higher in protein (nitrogen) than layer ration. Much of the nitrogen in litter comes from wasted feed.

 

[Dave]

I "think" it all depends on what they are fed. Just my personal opinion. In my area broiler usually tests out to be the lesser.

And broiler ration is typically much higher in protein (nitrogen) than layer ration. Much of the nitrogen in litter comes from wasted feed.

It depends on a number of factors. Here broilers are raised on sawdust which dilutes the droppings. Layers tend to be in high rise cages so it is straight manure. Also the carbon in the sawdust will tie up a lot of the free nitrogen. But either one will sure grow grass and is cheaper than commercial fertilizer.

 

[tdc_cattle]

Here the spreaders won't spread less then 2 ton per acre. Best bet is to use someone who spreads a lot and knows who to buy litter from. I think it's more reputable then it use to be but you can but some high & saw dust if you buy from the wrong place.

I'm more familiar with using it on row crop then pasture but we don't figure anything for the N. Anything we get is a bonus but I don't want to starve a corn crop

 

[JSCATTLE]

If you can show me a cow that eats dog fennel and thistles and not just a bite here and there I'll buy a truck load from you .. I put out litter a couple years ago .. I've been fighting several different weeds I've never seen on my place ever since ..

 

[dun]

If you can show me a cow that eats dog fennel and thistles and not just a bite here and there I'll buy a truck load from you .. I put out litter a couple years ago .. I've been fighting several different weeds I've never seen on my place ever since ..

Yup, took a couple of years to recover our hay fields after just one year of using litter.

 

[Craig Miller]

I'm trying to figure out why yall think the weeds came from the litter? There shouldn't be any seeds in it to bring them in.

 

[dun]

I'm trying to figure out why yall think the weeds came from the litter? There shouldn't be any seeds in it to bring them in.

Pretty simple. When weeds show up that have never been seen on the farm before and they are only in the fields that had the litter spread, it's a no brainer.

 

[City Guy]

Thanx. I now know enough to be absolutely, totally, 100% confused!! ha ha! I call that serious progress.

 

[Ebenezer]

Did you do a soil sample?

Broiler litter varies due to the amount of alum applied in the houses between flocks, are the houses cleaned under the feedlines or plowed and smoothed and how long between total cleanout. A analysis can be very helpful on the economics.

Also for gardens: no hard and fast rule if you do it yourself and eat it at home (your risk) but there is a concern over pathogens on root vegetables or soil contact for a period of time after application if others are involved.

 

[shaz]

I'm trying to figure out why yall think the weeds came from the litter? There shouldn't be any seeds in it to bring them in.

I'll bet the seed was already in the ground and the litter provided the ideal growing condition.

 

[TexasBred]

I "think" it all depends on what they are fed. Just my personal opinion. In my area broiler usually tests out to be the lesser.

And broiler ration is typically much higher in protein (nitrogen) than layer ration. Much of the nitrogen in litter comes from wasted feed.

It depends on a number of factors. Here broilers are raised on sawdust which dilutes the droppings. Layers tend to be in high rise cages so it is straight manure. Also the carbon in the sawdust will tie up a lot of the free nitrogen. But either one will sure grow grass and is cheaper than commercial fertilizer.

Then as you said it would be straight manure and not litter which is 75% sawdust and shavings.

 

[TexasBred]

I'm trying to figure out why yall think the weeds came from the litter? There shouldn't be any seeds in it to bring them in.

Craig the feed is loaded with tiny seeds. You'd be amazed at what is found in a microscopic exam of animal feed ingredients.

 

[Rajela]

I'm trying to figure out why yall think the weeds came from the litter? There shouldn't be any seeds in it to bring them in.

I'll bet the seed was already in the ground and the litter provided the ideal growing condition.

Bingo.....Give that man a cigar...

 

[Craig Miller]

I'm trying to figure out why yall think the weeds came from the litter? There shouldn't be any seeds in it to bring them in.

I'll bet the seed was already in the ground and the litter provided the ideal growing condition.

That's what I was thinking. Litter made the soil perfect for the weeds.

 

[Craig Miller]

I'm trying to figure out why yall think the weeds came from the litter? There shouldn't be any seeds in it to bring them in.

Craig the feed is loaded with tiny seeds. You'd be amazed at what is found in a microscopic exam of animal feed ingredients.

I know that you know you feeds TB but I find it hard to believe there are any seeds of any kind in the feed aside from corn. These companies would not waste money putting anything in the feed that will not put weight on the birds.

 

[TexasBred]

I'm trying to figure out why yall think the weeds came from the litter? There shouldn't be any seeds in it to bring them in.

Craig the feed is loaded with tiny seeds. You'd be amazed at what is found in a microscopic exam of animal feed ingredients.

I know that you know you feeds TB but I find it hard to believe there are any seeds of any kind in the feed aside from corn. These companies would not waste money putting anything in the feed that will not put weight on the birds.

Craig I know too it's hard to believe but you'd be amazed at the kinds of seeds that show up in finished feeds. These companies have no choice. The seeds are in the ingredients they purchase. I've had many samples pulled and analyzed and they are there along with a lot of other things nobody ever checks unless they do a microscopic analysis.

 

[Craig Miller]

Craig the feed is loaded with tiny seeds. You'd be amazed at what is found in a microscopic exam of animal feed ingredients.

I know that you know you feeds TB but I find it hard to believe there are any seeds of any kind in the feed aside from corn. These companies would not waste money putting anything in the feed that will not put weight on the birds.

Craig I know too it's hard to believe but you'd be amazed at the kinds of seeds that show up in finished feeds. These companies have no choice. The seeds are in the ingredients they purchase. I've had many samples pulled and analyzed and they are there along with a lot of other things nobody ever checks unless they do a microscopic analysis.

So you're saying they are not actually putting it in there but it's there already from the ingredients they purchase from their suppliers. I can understand that. So now I say it comes from both the litter and the seed already there

 

[ga.prime]

Complete and proper composting of the litter reputedly kills weed seeds. Litter I've gotten before was completely composted. It looked and felt like potting soil and had no smell. Still, there was crab grass seeds in the litter. I think maybe the way it got in there was crabgrass grew on the surface of the piles of litter while it was composting. There may have been some few other kinds of weed seeds in there but it couldn't have been much and it wasn't anything I didn't already have. There was a lot of crabgrass seeds in it though as evidenced by a unprecedented flush of crabgrass in the spring after spreading litter in the fall.

 

[tdc_cattle]

Maybe in ga you can get composted litter but around here they haul it off to someone's field as soon as the house is cleaned out. It may sit in that pile for awhile till its spread but it's not being turned and having carbon added to it and the temp monitored. It's not being managed to kill weed seed that is 100% in the litter.

 

[Ebenezer]

It takes a level of moisture somewhere over 25% to compost. With alum added between flock the average moisture content is around 19% in the house. Low humidity in the litter controls breast scald and blindness. So when that sits in a field or pasture and crusts over, there is still not enough moisture in the bulk of the pile to compost like the litter used to do some years back. The alum also affects the analysis as it permanently binds up some of the P to not be available.