chicken litter

[xbred]

i know that this may be a broad question, but generally speaking what is the NPK in chicken litter? It cost about $20 a ton spread and I have always had good luck with it when you can get it....My truck is in the shop, it's raining, and I am stuck in the house asking questions on CT...

 

[dun]

It vaires but here they recommend 1000 lbs per acre

 

[Angus Cowman]

i know that this may be a broad question, but generally speaking what is the NPK in chicken litter? It cost about $20 a ton spread and I have always had good luck with it when you can get it....My truck is in the shop, it's raining, and I am stuck in the house asking questions on CT...

It depends if it is broiler litter or laying house litter as the layer litter doesn't have any bedding in it
I use turkey litter the analysis this year( from memory) was some where around 75 80 50 pr ton
I reccomend using no less than a ton per acre on pastures and no less than 2 tons per acre on hayfields

 

[xbred]

thanks, what do ya'll pay?

 

[hobbyboy]

i know that this may be a broad question, but generally speaking what is the NPK in chicken litter? It cost about $20 a ton spread and I have always had good luck with it when you can get it....My truck is in the shop, it's raining, and I am stuck in the house asking questions on CT...

It depends if it is broiler litter or laying house litter as the layer litter doesn't have any bedding in it
I use turkey litter the analysis this year( from memory) was some where around 75 80 50 pr ton
I reccomend using no less than a ton per acre on pastures and no less than 2 tons per acre on hayfields

3.75 of N, 4 of P, and 2.5 of K then as an analysis right?

 

[Angus Cowman]

i know that this may be a broad question, but generally speaking what is the NPK in chicken litter? It cost about $20 a ton spread and I have always had good luck with it when you can get it....My truck is in the shop, it's raining, and I am stuck in the house asking questions on CT...

It depends if it is broiler litter or laying house litter as the layer litter doesn't have any bedding in it
I use turkey litter the analysis this year( from memory) was some where around 75 80 50 pr ton
I reccomend using no less than a ton per acre on pastures and no less than 2 tons per acre on hayfields

3.75 of N, 4 of P, and 2.5 of K then as an analysis right?

yes, that is correct per 100lbs, but litter is applied at heavier rates than commercial fert
so in comparision if you were using 17-17-17 commercial which is not the best way to go IMO you would need to apply 4-500 lbs of it per acre to equal 1 ton of litter and therefore that is where the cost comes into play on the benefits of litter
also the ph was around 9 on the litter and therefore eliminates the need for lime and on the litter with bedding you are adding organic materials back into the soil

It is also a slower breakdown so you get long term results from the litter instead of flash growth as with commercial and weather doesn't play as big as role with the litter as it does with the comm fert
as you don't need rain in a the next day or two after applying the litter where you commer fert will lose some of it strength if it doesn't get dissolved into the soil in a short period after applying

 

[hobbyboy]

yes, that is correct per 100lbs, but litter is applied at heavier rates than commercial fert
so in comparision if you were using 17-17-17 commercial which is not the best way to go IMO you would need to apply 4-500 lbs of it per acre to equal 1 ton of litter and therefore that is where the cost comes into play on the benefits of litter
also the ph was around 9 on the litter and therefore eliminates the need for lime and on the litter with bedding you are adding organic materials back into the soil

It is also a slower breakdown so you get long term results from the litter instead of flash growth as with commercial and weather doesn't play as big as role with the litter as it does with the comm fert
as you don't need rain in a the next day or two after applying the litter where you commer fert will lose some of it strength if it doesn't get dissolved into the soil in a short period after applying

Well actually I was told by the manager of the seed and feed house that fert analysis are always in % thats where the confusion originated. You had higher % than possible. Thanks for clearing that up.

 

[Angus Cowman]

yes, that is correct per 100lbs, but litter is applied at heavier rates than commercial fert
so in comparision if you were using 17-17-17 commercial which is not the best way to go IMO you would need to apply 4-500 lbs of it per acre to equal 1 ton of litter and therefore that is where the cost comes into play on the benefits of litter
also the ph was around 9 on the litter and therefore eliminates the need for lime and on the litter with bedding you are adding organic materials back into the soil

It is also a slower breakdown so you get long term results from the litter instead of flash growth as with commercial and weather doesn't play as big as role with the litter as it does with the comm fert
as you don't need rain in a the next day or two after applying the litter where you commer fert will lose some of it strength if it doesn't get dissolved into the soil in a short period after applying

Well actually I was told by the manager of the seed and feed house that fert analysis are always in % thats where the confusion originated. You had higher % than possible. Thanks for clearing that up.

yes it is %, a 17-17-17commercial fert is 17lbs of N, 17lbs of p and 17lbs of k per 100lbs applied
and litter is figured on tons instead

 

[hobbyboy]

yes it is %, a 17-17-17commercial fert is 17lbs of N, 17lbs of p and 17lbs of k per 100lbs applied
and litter is figured on tons instead

I must have misunderstood him. The way he explianed it 17-17-17 as an analysis meant there was 17% of N 17% of P and 17% of K, regardless if there was 100 pounds applied or 5000 pounds applied per acre. Forgive me I'm still learning.

 

[cfpinz]

yes it is %, a 17-17-17commercial fert is 17lbs of N, 17lbs of p and 17lbs of k per 100lbs applied
and litter is figured on tons instead

I must have misunderstood him. The way he explianed it 17-17-17 as an analysis meant there was 17% of N 17% of P and 17% of K, regardless if there was 100 pounds applied or 5000 pounds applied per acre. Forgive me I'm still learning.

Same result, different explanation.

 

[hobbyboy]

Same result, different explanation.

Now I'm completely confused, How can a fertilizer with an analysis of 3.75 - 4 - 2.5 be the same as a fertilizer with an analysis of 75 - 80 - 50?

I'm beggining to wonder about the seed and feed store as a source of my information. He was very clear about what the numbers on the fertilizer stood for, in fact he said something about that being the law.

He also kept stressing that 1 pound or 10,000 pounds those numbers would not change. Can someone link me to a website so I can read into this subject more?

 

[Angus Cowman]

Same result, different explanation.

Now I'm completely confused, How can a fertilizer with an analysis of 3.75 - 4 - 2.5 be the same as a fertilizer with an analysis of 75 - 80 - 50?

I'm beggining to wonder about the seed and feed store as a source of my information. He was very clear about what the numbers on the fertilizer stood for, in fact he said something about that being the law.

He also kept stressing that 1 pound or 10,000 pounds those numbers would not change. Can someone link me to a website so I can read into this subject more?

Ok lets see if I can better explain this

A ton of commercial fert at 17-17-17 has 340lbs of N, 340lbs of P and 340lbs ofK
a ton of litter at the #s I gave has 75lbs of N,80lbs ofP and 50lbs of K
on comm fert you would only apply 2-300lbs per acre so you would be getting 51lbs of N,Pand K each per acre,
on the litter we apply it at a heavier rate I apply a minnimum of 1 ton per acre so I am getting 75 lbs of N,80lbs of P and 50lbs of K per acre
So if the comm fert is costing you $400 per ton and you apply 300lbs per acre you are getting the 51 lbs of N,P and K and the cost per acre is $80 per acre
If applying litter at 1 ton per acre I am getting 75 lbs of N,80lbs of P and 50lbs of K per acre and the cost is $20 per acre
your numbers where correct but I was quoting lbs per ton and you were using percentage which come out the same just a different way to get to the same answer. I was saying how many lbs of N,P and K per ton and you were figuring percentages

 

[dun]

Just checked today, $55 a ton spread

 

[xbred]

wow!!! $130 a ton here...

 

[Angus Cowman]

wow!!! $130 a ton here...

at that price I can't see it being cost effective
I have never paid over $38 per ton and last yr it was around $30 per ton

a few yrs ago before comm fert and fuel got high I was in the low $20 range

 

[xbred]

i don't know what i was thinking...$130 per load.....about 6-7 tons per load.....+- $20.00 per ton

 

[dun]

i don't know what i was thinking...$130 per load.....about 6-7 tons per load.....+- $20.00 per ton

Wish it was that cheap per load here, but load is aorund 28 tons.

 

[hobbyboy]

Ok lets see if I can better explain this

A ton of commercial fert at 17-17-17 has 340lbs of N, 340lbs of P and 340lbs ofK
a ton of litter at the #s I gave has 75lbs of N,80lbs ofP and 50lbs of K
on comm fert you would only apply 2-300lbs per acre so you would be getting 51lbs of N,Pand K each per acre,
on the litter we apply it at a heavier rate I apply a minnimum of 1 ton per acre so I am getting 75 lbs of N,80lbs of P and 50lbs of K per acre
So if the comm fert is costing you $400 per ton and you apply 300lbs per acre you are getting the 51 lbs of N,P and K and the cost per acre is $80 per acre
If applying litter at 1 ton per acre I am getting 75 lbs of N,80lbs of P and 50lbs of K per acre and the cost is $20 per acre
your numbers where correct but I was quoting lbs per ton and you were using percentage which come out the same just a different way to get to the same answer. I was saying how many lbs of N,P and K per ton and you were figuring percentages

Okay I'm starting to see what you are trying to say. I was thinking about analysis you were talking applied pounds. You had me confused at first you said the 75 - 80 - 50 was the analysis of the fertilizer, but rather it was applied values. Gotcha now.