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Improving Poultry Litter Management and Carcass Disposal

Poultry Litter • Disposal of Poultry Carcasses • Abandoned Sites

Poultry litter and carcass residues are nutrient-rich materials. These waste materials can benefit the farmstead if they are adequately protected and safely land applied following storage or treatment. However, improper litter storage, improper treatment of carcasses, or improper land application of litter or compost residues can threaten farmstead water sources.

Litter storage and land application are important management concerns for poultry producers. If done properly, maximum fertilizer value can be maintained while reducing the risk of water contamination.

Several carcass disposal options are available to Arkansas poultry producers. Specific guidelines and considerations for any of these disposal methods can be obtained from the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission (501-225-5138).

Stored litter and compost residue materials can be sampled and tested to determine how much nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium they contain. This nutrient value information, combined with the amount of litter or residue applied per acre, makes it possible to determine whether additional commercial fertilizer is needed to meet realistic crop production goals.

An animal waste management plan (AWMP) considers these areas as well as other animal production waste concerns for a given farmstead. An AWMP can be an effective tool for addressing poultry litter management and carcass disposal. For more information on AWMPs, refer to Fact Sheet #7, Improved Management of Animal Production Wastes.

If an AWMP is not available for a farmstead, then the following information on poultry litter management and carcass disposal can be helpful.

1. Poultry litter composition

Nearly all broiler, pullet, and breeder operations and some of the smaller laying hen facilities grow the birds on concrete, wooden, or earthen floors. A 2- to 6-inch layer of wood shavings, rice hulls, or other bedding material is used as a base before the birds are placed in the house. The manure and bedding mixture is commonly called litter, and it is removed one or more times a year and replaced with fresh bedding material. Most broiler operations produce 1.2 to 1.7 tons of litter per 1,000 birds. For a flock of 18,000 to 20,000 birds, this amounts to between 22 and 34 tons of litter per flock. The total nitrogen content of fresh poultry litter is usually 3 percent or more by weight on a moist weight basis (20 to 30 percent water). This results in the litter containing two-thirds to one ton of total nitrogen for each flock of 18,000 to 20,000 birds. As much as 25 percent of the total nitrogen contained in fresh litter can be fairly mobile and subject to leaching.

2. Litter storage

Not all of the nitrogen from a temporary litter stack would be expected to be leached by exposure to rain, but surface or groundwater contamination from an unprotected litter stack is possible. Stacking unprotected litter in fields, particularly during periods of bad weather, is not a recommended practice.

If temporary field storage of litter cannot be avoided, then it should be protected. This can be accomplished by stacking the litter on some type of restrictive surface. This surface can be concrete, 6-mil plastic, a compacted clay layer, or other materials that would restrict leaching. The stack should also be covered with 6-mil plastic that is securely anchored against the wind. An upslope surface water diversion (ditch, dike, grassed waterway, etc.) should be provided to keep runoff water from reaching the stack. The stack should be located at least 100 feet from any water sources and downslope if possible. Any downslope surface water sources within 100 feet of the stack should be protected by a grass filter area between them and the stack.

A stacking shed, a roofed structure with a concrete floor, is the safest method for temporary storage of litter. Large quantities of litter can be stored and kept dry, promoting easy handling and uniform distribution. Cost sharing for stacking sheds may be available from the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS). These funds are only available for farmsteads that have an approved nutrient management plan. These plans are developed through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and include application acreages, crop nutrient requirements, litter application rates, and application times. These factors are considered together with the size of the operation to arrive at the storage volume requirement and other design considerations for a planned stacking shed. The stacking shed design must be approved by the NRCS before it can be accepted by the ASCS.

3. Litter application

At this writing, there are no regulations governing the land application of poultry litter. It is suggested that a farmstead nutrient or waste management plan be developed through the assistance of the NRCS. The following guidelines are recommended for inclusion in the plan and for voluntary implementation by the farmstead owner:

• Poultry litter should be evenly distributed over application sites at a rate not to exceed 5 tons per acre per year, or according to a site-specific land management plan, with no more than 2.5 tons/acre in each application. (As a rule of thumb, 30 acres for one 16,000 square feet house per year.)
   
• Surface land application of poultry waste should not be undertaken when soil is saturated, frozen or covered with snow, during rainy weather, or when precipitation is in the immediate forecast.
   
• Poultry waste should not be applied on slopes with a grade of more than 15 percent or in any manner that will allow waste to enter the waters of the state. Follow a site-specific land management plan, especially if there are unique features to consider.
   
• Surface and subsurface application of poultry waste should not be made within 25 feet of rock outcrops; 100 feet of streams, ponds, lakes, springs, sinkholes, wells, water supplies, and dwellings, or according to a site-specific land management plan.
   
• Records should be kept by the farmer of the dates, quantity, and specific sites where litter is applied. If the litter is sold, a record should be kept of who buys the litter, the dates, the quantities, and the farm sites where litter is applied or utilized.
   
• Vehicles should be covered or tarped if used for transporting poultry litter on state or federally maintained roads or any public road for more than 1 mile.

The best application rate depends on the crop and on the nutrient content of the soil before the application is made, as well as on the nutrient content of the waste material. Soil testing and manure nutrient analyses are recommended procedures for best determining poultry litter application amounts. Litter application equipment should be calibrated to better achieve accurate and even distribution of the litter

The county Extension office can provide more information on soil testing, litter analyses, equipment calibration, record keeping, and other areas related to poultry litter land application.

4. Disposal of poultry carcasses

The Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission (ALPC) is responsible for regulations on the disposal of dead animal carcasses. The following are currently approved disposal methods:

• Incineration

• Composting

• Burial

• Rendering

• Freezing

• Direct burial

• Cooking/feeding to swine

A permit for cooking and feeding must be obtained from the Veterinarian Services Section of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in Little Rock (501-224-9515). Permits for disposal methods that require transporting carcasses off your property must be obtained from the ALPC in Little Rock (501-225-5138). A permit from the ALPC is also required for a one-time burial of a large volume of poultry carcasses due to a catastrophic die-off occurring on a farm.

Composting of poultry carcasses is showing real promise as an on-farm disposal method. There are several different versions of composters available, but they must all meet the following requirements:

1. Must be practically odorless.
2. Must operate at temperature high enough to destroy pathogenic bacteria (150 degrees Fahrenheit).
3. Must provide for complete decomposition of carcasses ­ only feathers and bones remaining.
4. Must be adequately protected from flies so that larvae are not a problem.

Some Arkansas farmers are using a waste storage and treatment shed that has primary and secondary composting bins, as well as ample room for temporary storage of broiler litter. These facilities allow ready access to the storage and compost bins. Materials can be added or removed as often as necessary for their effective treatment and land application.

The environmental impact of improper carcass disposal was recently demonstrated in five separate cases where large volumes of poultry carcasses were left piled up or only partially covered. Several bird species (vultures, hawks, etc.) fed on the carcasses and died as a result. Investigations by ALPC, because of complaints, resulted in the levying of fines of $500 to $1000. The damage to both the environment and the reputation of Arkansas animal production must be avoided through proper disposal of animal carcasses.

The Extension and NRCS county offices and the ALPC (501-225-5138) can provide information on composting as well as information on other disposal methods.

Abandoned sites

Abandoned chicken houses or old earthen chicken house foundations can be threats to farmstead water sources. Any abandoned structure should be completely emptied and the litter properly land applied or stored. In the case of earthen floor facilities, soil to a depth of one foot should be removed and spread with the litter. The remaining hole should be filled and leveled. Litter packs remaining from removed or demolished poultry houses should also be removed and properly land applied or stored. The soil area under the litter pack should be cored and tested for nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sodium chlorides, nitrates, and sulfates. If any of these elements are high, your Extension agent or the Natural Resources Conservation Service should be contacted for guidance in dealing with the soil.

Work Sheet