Chicken litter
- Thread starter Cah82
- Start date
simme
Old Dumb Guy
Here is some info on fertilizer values by litter type. I don't have any experience with layer litter, but it looks to me like the broiler litter is the one to get.
Broiler litter that comes direct from a house will be better quality than litter that has been stored/stacked in a shed. In general, the older the litter in the house, the better the quality. Broiler litter from a house that is cleaned out often will have a higher percentage of bedding material - shavings, sawdust, peanut hulls, etc. And will be higher moisture since the water is close to the surface. Older (deeper) litter in the house will have more of the bedding decomposed and will be dryer (dusty) as you move down from the surface. So, there is variation in litter depending not only on type of birds, but age of litter and whether it has been stored and how it was stored. Litter from the composting shed (dead birds composted in litter) may contain bird parts that are not fully composted and have some risk of botulism if spread in pastures where cows are currently grazing (and will attract the buzzards). So, all litter is not equal - even of the same type.
https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=B1270&title=Poultry Litter Sampling
https://extension.uga.edu/publicati...nure Use through Nutrient Management Planning
Broiler litter that comes direct from a house will be better quality than litter that has been stored/stacked in a shed. In general, the older the litter in the house, the better the quality. Broiler litter from a house that is cleaned out often will have a higher percentage of bedding material - shavings, sawdust, peanut hulls, etc. And will be higher moisture since the water is close to the surface. Older (deeper) litter in the house will have more of the bedding decomposed and will be dryer (dusty) as you move down from the surface. So, there is variation in litter depending not only on type of birds, but age of litter and whether it has been stored and how it was stored. Litter from the composting shed (dead birds composted in litter) may contain bird parts that are not fully composted and have some risk of botulism if spread in pastures where cows are currently grazing (and will attract the buzzards). So, all litter is not equal - even of the same type.
https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=B1270&title=Poultry Litter Sampling
https://extension.uga.edu/publicati...nure Use through Nutrient Management Planning
My feed guy is not buying any fertilizer this year. He is spreading broiler litter on everything (but he does have chicken houses also).
tex452
Well-known member
I owned a breeder farm and I fertilized my pastures with it and nothing else.
It worked great, it was unbelievable how well it made the grass grow.
I sold what I didn’t use to my neighbors and they loved it.
You just have to take soil samples to put out the right amount.
I use broiler litter on another ranch and it also works great.
It worked great, it was unbelievable how well it made the grass grow.
I sold what I didn’t use to my neighbors and they loved it.
You just have to take soil samples to put out the right amount.
I use broiler litter on another ranch and it also works great.
