Presentation to Crop Producers on utilizing poultry litter as a fertilizer source.

1. K-State Research and Extension
Kansas State University
Poultry Litter Management
Keith Martin
Agriculture Agent
Wildcat Extension District

2. What is Poultry Litter?
• Manure and bedding material
– sawdust, wood shavings, rice hulls, etc.
• Returns soil nutrients and organic matter
• Builds soil fertility and quality
• Slowly releases nutrients
• Liming effect

3. Why the increased interest?
• OK and AR heavy poultry
production
• Greater restrictions on
application of poultry litter
in Arkansas & OK.
• Available cropland and
pastureland in Kansas

4. Averages have very little to do with
the litter applied on your farm
• Sources of variability
– Type of bird
– Number of flocks
– Type of bedding
– Type of cleanout
– Fresh litter
– Stored litter

5. Sampling
• You should always have litter sampled
– How much value are you really getting?
– Moisture content can vary greatly Keith Martin

7. Interpreting Lab Results
• The nutrient results need to be converted
from percent to pounds per wet ton basis, and
phosphorus and potassium need to be
converted to P205 and K20 fertilizer basis.
• Nitrogen 3.2% X 20 64 lb/ton
• P205 1.5% X 20 X2.27 68 lb/ton
• K2O 2.1% X 20 X1.2 50 lb/ton

8. 48 Samples “As Is”
• Nitrogen
– 68% 36 – 68
– 95% 20 – 84
• Phosphorous
– 68% 37 - 79
– 95% 17 - 99
• Potassium
– 68% 28 – 58
– 95% 13 - 73
• Value
– $39 – $71
– $23 - $88

9. Other Nutrients
• Availability similar to commercial fertilizer
• P & K in inorganic and organic form
– Litter is very high in P and K (Relative to manures)
– ~ 90% available for long-term plant uptake
• Additional plant nutrients in poultry litter
– S, Zn, Fe, Cu, Ca, Mg

10. Value of Additional Nutrients
• Additional plant nutrients in poultry litter
– Sulfur and Zinc are potentially deficient and of some value to forages
– Many of the other micronutrients are plentiful in the soil and of less
value (Fe, Cu, Ca, Mg)
Average High Low
Nutrient Lb/ton $ Lb/ton $ Lb/ton $
Sulfur 13.6 $3.43 24.8 $6.25 5.6 $1.41
Zinc 0.9 $0.50 2.0 $1.12 0.4 $0.24
S: $0.25/lb
Zn: $0.56/lb Bob Woods, OSU

11. Importance of Moisture Content
1. Affects the hauling cost.
2. Moisture above about 35% is quite wet and
may require special equipment. Unstable
manure can heat up or produce flammable
gases.
3. Litter much dryer than 20% moisture may be
dusty and abrasive to equipment.
(Zhang, Smolen, and Hamilton PT 2002-24)

12. What about Nitrogen?
• About 80% is in organic material and must be
mineralized before it is available to crop
– Usually 25% - 50% is mineralized 1st year
Poultry litter N availability (Assume 55lb N/ton)
Year after Surface Lbs N/ton
application application availability
1st Year 50% 22 lbs
2nd Year 12% 5 lbs
3rd Year 6% 3 lbs

13. What about Nitrogen?
• About 20% or (11 lbs/ton) of the nitrogen is
inorganic NH4
– Readily available to plant, but some is subject to losses
Manure Ammonia
Volatilization

14. Other Litter Quality Criteria
1. Consistency of the manure affects the type of
equipment needed to handle, process, or apply it to
the land.
2. Bedding type: rice hulls are preferred to either wheat
straw or wood shavings.
3. Treatments such as alum may lower the phosphorus
availability to plants, reducing its value. Therefore, it
may not be suitable for P deficient fields.
4. Other foreign objects can damage equipment.
(Zhang, Smolen, and Hamilton PT 2002-24)

15. BMP’s for Poultry Litter
• KS is currently not regulated for litter storage
and application and following BMP’s can help
keep it that way
• We will need to be conscientious on our
handling and spreading of litter
– Odor
– Surface runoff of nutrients into our water supply

17. Phosphorus Runoff
• Base application rates on P not N
– Many crops will need supplemental nitrogen
Average Phosphorus concentrations in surface runoff after turkey litter or
fertilizer applications on cropland
Ortho-P Bioavailable-P Total-P
Control 0.05 0.05 0.17
Lbs/a
Fertilizer 5.10 4.27 5.63
Litter-N based 12.54 10.19 13.51
Litter-P based 2.09 1.72 2.42
Litter-P based, CT 0.68 0.62 1.22
LSD (0.20) 6.80 5.62 7.66
Sweeney and Pierzynski

18. Litter Applications
• Because of high Phosphorus loads in poultry litter,
make applications based on P needs not Nitrogen
• Separation of 35 ft from surface water on grasslands
– Cropland 100 ft separation unless grass buffer
• Do not apply to land with steep slopes
• Although no separation regulation on application
distances from residence
– Away form residence (1/4 - 1/2 mile separation)
– Wind direction
• Avoid applying litter to those fields that frequently
flood

19. Litter Stockpiling
• Stockpile litter at least 200 feet away from “Waters
of the State”

20. Waters of the State = any watercourse,
channel, stream, river, lake, or road
ditch
200 feet
LITTER WASTE
STREAM

21. Litter Stockpiling
• Stockpile litter at least 200 feet away from “Waters
of the State”
– Alan Sharp, KDHE: 620-431-2390
• Avoid stockpiling litter near homes
• Use tarps on litter piles to keep litter dry, reduce
smell, and reduce N losses from volatilization
• Regardless, expect N loss over time
– compost ~50% loss
– stockpile ~10 – 20%

22. Stockpiling Considerations
• Slope of site
• Slope from site to water
• Distance to water
• Time stored
• Amount stored
• Buffer size and ground cover

23. Should you use poultry litter?
• It depends
– Cost of Litter
– Litter Analysis
– Do you soil test and fertilize accordingly
– Will you utilize Increased Nutrient Levels
– Hassle factor
– Environmental Concerns
– Neighbors
– Can you get it applied accurately

24. Questions?
Contact
Keith Martin
(620) 784-5337
(620) 252-5247
rkmartin@ksu.edu