Use of poultry house waste as livestock
feed and fertilizer
Divya, Senior Scientist
Praveen K. Tyagi, Principal Scientist
CARI, Izatnagar-243 122
Poultry in India
• Indian broiler production growth is estimated at 10
percent per year, with 2012 production reaching a
record 3.2 million tons.
• Layer production growth is estimated at 6 percent
annually.
• Indian poultry and egg consumption continues to
grow and is expected to double by 2015.
• Indian broiler production is highly organized, with
the formal sector contributing nearly 85 percent of
the total output
Manure or Wastes from poultry and other farm animals –
Contribute significantly towards crop production
through enriching soil fertility.
With commercialization of poultry farming activity in
a very big way during the last few decades, huge
amounts of poultry house wastes are generated and
becoming available for this purpose.
Why
poultry house
waste/manure
as
livestock/poultry
The unprecedented growth of poultry in India –
1. Disposal problem- causes soil & water pollution
2. Demand of quality feed, the demand for which continued of rise at
much higher rate than the supply position.
3. Presently, the annual requirement for compounded poultry feed has
been estimated at 20 million tones with current 10 and 20% annual
growth rates for the egg and meat stocks respectively, the feed
requirement is expected to rise.
4. The feed and fodder situation for the large animals is still grimmershortages for
concentrates – 44%
green fodder – 33%
dry fodder - 44%
5.
poultry house waste/manure contain high amount of undigested
nutrients
feed?
Processed poultry house wastes
Do not have their original characteristics and are wholesome in
appearance, smell and texture.
Also, these represent a cheap reservoir of nutrients and other
growth promoting factors. Poultry wastes contain higher
concentration of N, Ca, P etc., than those from other farm animal
wastes and, consequently, present a more intensive source of
nutrient recycling.
Moreover, the poultry wastes are relatively dry and essentially
totally collectable at site.
The cost of such raw material
The cost incurred on their collection and processing alone.
Types of Poultry house Wastes
1. Poultry manure-
In the intensive poultry production system where birds are houses in cages or on
slated floors, the excreta collected is by and large free o foreign materials except, of
course, a bit of broken feathers downs, spilled feed or broken egg shells
2. Poultry litter-
The excreta from birds reared in confinement housing system with some kind of
material spread onto the floor is not removed daily but allowed to mix with the
bedding. In the course of time, the bedding gets impregnated with droppings,
decomposed and transformed into the so called built- up litter. Some of the materials
commonly employed for bedding included rice husk, wood shavings, sawdust
groundnut hulls and chaffed hay.
The Yield of Poultry Wastes
When birds are housed on littered flood, the amount of
poultry house wastes (litter) may be twice as that of droppings
alone.
It has also been estimated that of every kg of egg mass
produced, a hen excreta nearly 4 kg of fresh droppings or 1 kg
of the dry excreta.
Estimated availability of poultry house wastes
Type of bird
Kind of waste
Approx. quantity (g
DM/b/d
Broiler chickens
Manure
11.0 (cage)
Broiler chickens
Litter
18.6 (litter)
Replacement
chickens
Manure
13.7 (cage)
Replacement
chickens
Litter
27.3 (litter)
Laying hens
Manure
32.9 (cage)
Laying hens
litter
65.8 (litter)
Approximate chemical composition and nutritive value of poultry manure and litter
Constituent (% DM)
Crude protein
True protein
Uric acid
Crude fibre
N-free extract
Cell wall Contents
Ether extract
Total ash
Calcium
Phosphorus
Copper
TDN (Sheep)
Poultry manure
30-40
8-13
3-10
13-15
29-35
38.0
Poultry litter
21-30
13-22
2-8
17-20
30-35
58.0
2-3
21-28
6-9
1.6-2.5
0.015
52.0
1-3
15-25
2-6
1-3
0.01
72.5
High ash and fibre contents in poultry manure are also responsible in part for its low
metabolisable energy (800 - 1000 kacl/kg)
Average contents of certain amino acids in poultry manure and litter
Amino acid (%DM)
Alanine
Arginine
Aspartic acid
Cystine
Glutamic acid
Glycine
Histidine
Isoleucine
Leucine
Lycine
Methionine
Phenylalanine
Proline
Serine
Threonine
Tryptophan
Tyrosine
Valine
Poultry manure
0.93
0.45
1.07
0.55
1.42
1.57
0.19
0.49
0.75
0.47
0.18
0.42
0.59
0.52
0.48
0.53
0.30
0.68
Poultry litter
0.84
0.47
1.18
0.12
0.20
2.34
0.22
0.61
0.96
0.53
0.13
0.52
0.93
0.55
0.54
0.49
0.33
0.78
Utilization of poultry waste as livestock feed
Economic considerations
Environmental considerations
1. In view of the fact that feed usually represents 60-70% of total costs on
animal production, its replacement to some extent by the processed wastes
may significantly help reduce feeding expenses. The potentiality of poultry
wastes as a feedstuff especially for ruminants has been well documented.
2. poultry wastes have been successfully employed in many countries of South
Africa for beef, dairy and sheep production.
3. In the U.K. certain organizations like Thornbers Ltd. and Ross Ltd. are
engaged in commercial production and marketing of poultry manure as a
feedstuff for livestock and poultry.
4. In order to improve its public image, poultry manure in the USA is called by
the name Poultry Anaphage meaning to eat again.
Feeding poultry manure to beef cattle
1. Poultry manure is an excellent protein supplement with 4070% TDN. Besides, it is a rich source of inorganic constituents
particularly Ca, P, Na, K and to some extent of trace
elements.
2. But in view of high ash content, the feeding of poultry
manure to such animals is limited to about one third of their
concentrate mixture. When feeding layer manure usually
high in Ca content, due care must be taken to balance the
ration in terms of P such that the Ca: P ratio is not disturbed.
3. Palatability of any feed is an important consideration in its
utilization. The layer manure is usually more palatable when
ensiled with forages rich in fermentable carbohydrates like
the maize, sorghum, sugarcane or when supplemented with
3% molasses
Feeding poultry waste to milch animals
1. Experiments on feeding of dried poultry manure to dairy cows
showed encouraging results with no adverse effects on milk yield or
composition.
2. The optimum level of poultry manure in dairy cows’ ration has been
worked out to be 15% in high yielding animals to prevent excessive
intake of Ca which may otherwise cause serious metabolic
disorders.
3. Dairy cows fed ensiled poultry manure consisting of rice straw,
poultry manure and rice bran in a 5: 2:3 ratios performed as good as
those feed on noticeable adverse effects on milk yield or
composition.
4. Cows usually adapt themselves rapidly from fresh green forage or
pasture to the poultry litter and cassava silage without any adverse
effect on milk production.
Feeding poultry house wastes to pigs
1. The nutritive value of poultry wastes to pigs varies considerably; a
distinction may be made between fresh poultry waste and decomposed
waste or litter.
2. Fresh poultry wastes at dietary levels lower than 10% are not only tolerated
well by pigs but also appear to stimulate their appetite and growth.
3. An integrated approach of hen, pig and fish farming has been successfully
adopted by farmers in South-East Asia where laying hens are housed in
cages above the pig pens thereby saving on poultry house costs. Excreta
voided by bids directly fell onto the pens and consumed by pigs virtually
within seconds. One pig is usually ‘serviced’ by 3-7 hens and this account
for 6-15% of their DM intake.
4. When complemented with fish farming, it represents a completely closed
‘Zero-pollution’ cycle.
Feeding poultry wasted back to poultry
1. The high contents of uric acid, CF and ash limit the usage of
poultry wastes in poultry rations to a level higher than 5%.
2. The high ash contents in diets consisting of poultry wastes can,
however, be curtailed through appropriate reduction in the
amount of mineral mixture.
3. Efforts have also been made to reduce uric acid contents in
poultry excreta through physical, chemical, microbiological or
fungal treatment.
4. Experience has shown that recycling of poultry wastes in poultry
rations, though technical feasible, offers very few practical
benefits.
PROCESSING OF POULTRY WASTES
1. In order to minimize risk of health hazard following
feeding of poultry wastes to farm livestock, it may be
useful to process these appropriately.
2. Processing methods helpful in
detoxification
improving its feeding value
palatability
texture/colour etc
1. Dehydration
a) Drying is an oldest method known to be effective against
pathogens
b) Drying of poultry manure or litter is feasible because it
contains less moisture than that in pig, cattle or buffalo
excreta.
c) Sun drying is inexpensive but slow.
d) Drying at high temperature leads to significant lose of N
which can be minimized through acidification of excreta prior
to drying.
2. Stacking
a) Another simple way of drying poultry waste is through stacking.
b) The litter is stacked to a depth of about 1.5 m under a roof for 6-8
weeks. Such litter is fairly sterile with fecal coli forms such as
salmonella,
c) This may as well be treated with formalin to preserve its
nutrients.
3. Chemical treatment
a) Feeing of fresh poultry manure is possible only when it has been
treated with formalin.
b) Apart from its main function as a preservative, formalin acts as
bactericide and fungicide thus drastically lowering the microbial
count of the substrate.
c) The manure is treated with 0.7% formalin (V/W) containing 37%
formaldehyde.
d) The addition of molasses to formalin-treated stuff is often
necessary to improve its palatability.
4. Ensiling
a) Of the various methods of treating wastes, ensiling seems to be the
best for it improves not only the palatability of the stuff but also
destroys pathogens.
b) Poultry manure or litter can be ensiled with crop residues, forages
and other roughages, fruit and vegetable wastes, root crops or with
molasses alone provided there is sufficient moisture (40-60%) and
soluble carbohydrates in the substrate to ensure good fermentation
process.
c) When ensiling poultry wastes with dry materials, sufficient quality
of water may be added to attain a desired moisture level.
HEALTH HAZARD AND SAFETY CONSIDERATION
• The great concern lies in the excessive accumulation of macro-mineral
(Ca, Si, and Fe), trace elements (Cu, Mn, Zn, Se), medicinal compounds
(anti-biotics, coccidiostats, sulphatmilamides) mycotoxins and hormones
besides pathogens directly transmittable via wastes from animals to
human beings
• Most studies on these aspects show that the rumen microbes virtually
break down all of the metabolites derived from fecal wastes.
• Likewise, toxicological research involving feeding of dried layer manure
at 30% level on dry basis to steers for 180 days revealed no adverse
effects on various physiological parameters.
•
Experimental and field observations have so far produced no evidence to
show that poultry wastes recycling poses any potential health risk to
animals provided that such wastes have properly been processed and
the rations carefully balanced.