Nov. 11, 2024

Manure Management-Part 1

Manure Management-Part 1

In this episode of the Poultry Keepers Podcast, Mandelyn Royal, John Gunterman, and Rip Stalvey discuss effective strategies for managing poultry manure. 

 They cover the impact of manure on the environment, including the risk of runoff contaminating local water sources and affecting wildlife. They highlight the importance of consulting local agencies for guidance on manure management and available state programs. The panel also emphasizes safe composting methods, focusing on achieving appropriate temperatures to eliminate pests and pathogens. 

 They discuss the benefits of using different bedding materials and best practices for maintaining a healthy coop environment. Proper manure management can reduce ammonia buildup, control pests, and improve the health of domestic animals. The podcast concludes with practical tips on feeding practices to minimize manure output and promote poultry health.

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WEBVTT

00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:10.119
Hello, my name is Mandelyn Royal, and I'm here with my cohorts, John Gunterman and Rip Stalvey, and today we're discussing what to do with all that poo.

00:00:20.147 --> 00:00:33.207
What you put into the front of the bird is going to come out the back side, so we're going to spend a little bit of time talking about the management, the composting, some safety considerations, and just generally the best ways to manage all that.

00:00:33.207 --> 00:00:42.948
Yes, lots of manure and we have to handle it properly to protect ourselves and our local environment and our domestic animals and the wild animals that are close to us.

00:00:43.728 --> 00:00:46.777
Yeah, it's something we all have to do, deal with, no matter what.

00:00:47.268 --> 00:00:48.357
Watch your situation.

00:00:48.618 --> 00:00:49.398
Sooner or later,

00:00:50.198 --> 00:00:50.497
it's coming.

00:00:51.298 --> 00:00:51.557
Yep.

00:00:51.597 --> 00:00:53.557
As far as Gump says it happens,

00:00:54.357 --> 00:00:57.328
john, you mentioned something about impact on wildlife.

00:00:57.328 --> 00:01:00.548
What can be some of the potential impacts?

00:01:01.347 --> 00:01:07.177
For me, I live literally at on the headwaters of Whitney Brook.

00:01:07.707 --> 00:01:12.998
So I'm worried about runoff off my property, going down into my wetlands.

00:01:13.048 --> 00:01:17.248
And, possibly polluting the waters downstream for my neighbors.

00:01:17.768 --> 00:01:21.487
We have a lot of agrarian activities in the area.

00:01:21.787 --> 00:01:27.147
The very next neighbor downstream is a dairy farm and they have 200 head of cattle.

00:01:27.477 --> 00:01:37.658
So it would be pretty bad if I were to like, irresponsibly release salmonella or some other thing into the water that is feeding these cows.

00:01:37.677 --> 00:01:41.048
And ultimately the milk is being made into cheese and feeding people.

00:01:41.548 --> 00:01:48.748
Understanding your place, no matter how seemingly small or insignificant in your food chain is pretty important.

00:01:49.337 --> 00:01:55.558
We have some of those same concerns because our property is sloped directly into a small creek.

00:01:56.007 --> 00:01:57.528
And this creek is tiny.

00:01:58.037 --> 00:02:07.128
There's probably a good month, two months, it doesn't even have any water in it, but when it rains, it pours, and whatever's on the surface, it's gonna run right into that creek.

00:02:07.677 --> 00:02:21.647
The, what is it, algae blooms from the nitrogen load is a, Yes, problem that will affect the oxygen levels and the native species there because we have a couple different varieties of frogs, amphibians, crawdads.

00:02:22.358 --> 00:02:26.217
I don't want to kill that creek by having too much manure running into it.

00:02:26.228 --> 00:02:29.388
So we rely on a lot of ground filtering on the way.

00:02:29.823 --> 00:02:35.812
And we strategize drainage and actually install drainage to control where our runoff goes.

00:02:35.842 --> 00:02:49.043
And this is just from having a small, in terms of scale, a small flog, like there might be a hundred birds, but I have over 200 foot of filtering before runoff ends up in that creek.

00:02:49.233 --> 00:02:49.582
Sure.

00:02:49.592 --> 00:02:59.502
And if you're smart about it and you design little catchments and swales to do this function as part of your inherent design, then it's done.

00:02:59.693 --> 00:03:03.573
You just need to think about it a little bit and, prepare for worst case scenario.

00:03:03.582 --> 00:03:11.032
We've seen a lot of torrential floodings recently, which has had an impact on a lot of people's farms and birds.

00:03:11.513 --> 00:03:17.233
And it's really highlighted the importance of watching out for stormwater runoff in these cases.

00:03:18.032 --> 00:03:24.823
And, sadly, John, it doesn't take much of contaminated runoff to cause a major problem.

00:03:25.372 --> 00:03:38.193
I would encourage folks, if you're listening and you're interested, you should be interested to check with your local organization, state and local organizations about manure management.

00:03:38.712 --> 00:03:45.193
Because, we were talking about this earlier, that it can so vary, not only from state to state, but from county to county.

00:03:45.717 --> 00:04:14.828
And this is where your county agents, you should absolutely leverage their knowledge and experience because they will also have access to state programs which they can recommend, which may be beneficial to help you mitigate some of these concerns through grants or labor bank stabilization, rainwater mitigation, there's a lot of states have programs available to help people in funding these projects to protect themselves and their neighbors.

00:04:15.138 --> 00:04:19.588
So your county agent is definitely your best resource in this case.

00:04:20.387 --> 00:04:28.168
We were talking a little earlier about runoff, contaminated runoff, and we seem to focus on bacteria when we think of that.

00:04:28.208 --> 00:04:31.637
But it's also, it can spread pests around.

00:04:31.637 --> 00:04:33.218
We were talking about this last night.

00:04:33.947 --> 00:04:43.637
That when you're treating for internal parasites and you don't manage that manure properly, you can be spreading roundworms and coccidiosis and all kinds of things.

00:04:44.177 --> 00:04:48.598
So composting, I know a lot of us probably do composting.

00:04:48.728 --> 00:04:54.168
I myself have no less than six different piles going at any given time.

00:04:54.968 --> 00:05:01.338
And there's a range of bedding materials that I use depending on what pen it came out of and what life stage the birds were in.

00:05:01.913 --> 00:05:05.413
So some of my piles are more based on pine shavings.

00:05:05.452 --> 00:05:09.713
Others are mostly sand out of my adult pens.

00:05:09.742 --> 00:05:17.463
And then I strategize those piles for achieving the temperature needed to sterilize them.

00:05:17.892 --> 00:05:21.583
And there's a couple of different temperatures when you're composting that'll do different things.

00:05:21.593 --> 00:05:23.702
John likes to run his hotter than I do.

00:05:23.973 --> 00:05:30.103
Like I'm really aiming for about 140 degrees, but if you want to sterilize it, really, what did you say, John?

00:05:30.112 --> 00:05:34.262
Like 160 is the temperature you're going for?

00:05:34.653 --> 00:05:43.392
We liked to see if you're sterilizing and hot composting anything over 170 was delightful in our winter piles.

00:05:43.733 --> 00:05:46.122
Cause we were also composting meat.

00:05:46.742 --> 00:05:49.302
Type products being animal carcasses.

00:05:49.333 --> 00:05:52.663
I do compost my birds that I don't consume personally.

00:05:53.173 --> 00:05:55.362
So you do need a hotter compost pile.

00:05:55.372 --> 00:05:57.112
Check the regulations on that.

00:05:57.793 --> 00:06:00.833
There's also a fantastic book on this topic.

00:06:00.872 --> 00:06:02.262
I mailed my copy to Rip.

00:06:02.533 --> 00:06:04.002
It's called the Humanure book.

00:06:04.533 --> 00:06:09.403
The title is a little scary, but it really talks about all these things.

00:06:09.442 --> 00:06:18.538
I highly encourage people to just do the research, find, what your Comfortable with and stick with that, but 170 is pretty good.

00:06:19.338 --> 00:06:23.288
With the pest, my number one, most hated pest is flies.

00:06:23.973 --> 00:06:35.862
And so by running that warmer compost, I am eliminating their breeding ground by keeping it hot enough to prevent them from taking over because flies, they can travel in from other places.

00:06:35.862 --> 00:06:37.612
You might not be the breeding ground.

00:06:37.653 --> 00:06:42.552
You might be the recipient and they might be coming from the horse farm two miles up the road.

00:06:42.552 --> 00:06:45.442
They might be coming from the cattle farm five miles away.

00:06:45.882 --> 00:06:47.562
Those flies are going to end up there.

00:06:47.562 --> 00:06:51.302
And their favorite thing is moisture and warmth.

00:06:51.947 --> 00:06:58.538
So if your compost is running at their perfect preferred temperature, yeah, you're going to be a breeding ground for them.

00:06:58.937 --> 00:07:00.487
You're creating a niche.

00:07:01.057 --> 00:07:01.767
Yeah, you're creating

00:07:01.767 --> 00:07:05.687
a habitat if you're not composting at the appropriate temperature.

00:07:06.298 --> 00:07:11.747
So managing your piles is getting the right combination of, Browns and greens and nitrogen.

00:07:12.148 --> 00:07:14.997
It, there is a bit of an art form, but you do learn it pretty quick.

00:07:15.798 --> 00:07:28.728
And then knowing how the different beddings break down is helpful because pine shaving, straw, they all break down at various speeds, but the chicken manure itself, it's going to perform the best.

00:07:28.728 --> 00:07:34.067
If it has a minimum of six months to balance out the nitrogen load.

00:07:34.077 --> 00:07:36.557
Cause when it comes out of the backside of the bird, it's hot.

00:07:36.567 --> 00:07:38.468
It's too hot to use immediately.

00:07:39.007 --> 00:07:54.177
But I did see some research that said if you do spread it over your garden areas fresh, then you need to give at least 140 days for it to disperse itself before any vegetable plant comes anywhere near it.

00:07:54.833 --> 00:08:03.742
So this is something you could do in the fall so that it has winter and early spring, but you don't want to put your vegetables anywhere near fresh manure.

00:08:03.742 --> 00:08:12.733
It has to age so that it can go through its natural processes to become safe, and then temperature is a driving factor in how long that'll actually take.

00:08:13.262 --> 00:08:18.572
It could be anywhere from three months if you're down south and your compost is in a real warm, sunny spot.

00:08:18.583 --> 00:08:22.033
It's going to break down faster than if you're up in Michigan.

00:08:22.473 --> 00:08:34.648
You're gonna be looking at it six months minimum all the way up to one year And when you're turning that compost, it'll tell you where it's at and how long you actually need to wait before you can use it.

00:08:35.057 --> 00:08:38.408
If it's identifiable you'll get to know your compost.

00:08:38.427 --> 00:08:42.378
It, this is one of those things that you just have to see it and experience it.

00:08:42.857 --> 00:08:51.738
But while you're doing this also, please keep in mind that there are some health hazards to humans in there, and you should at least be wearing an appropriate, lung protection.

00:08:52.197 --> 00:08:54.557
There's some things going on there that we should not be breathing.

00:08:55.067 --> 00:08:57.817
There is this poultry workers lung disease.

00:08:57.847 --> 00:08:59.648
It's pretty well documented.

00:09:00.107 --> 00:09:03.937
As long as you take basic safety precautions, you'll be okay.

00:09:04.738 --> 00:09:04.878
Now is

00:09:04.878 --> 00:09:06.788
that fungal or is that bacterial?

00:09:06.788 --> 00:09:08.548
Because I think there's a couple different things.

00:09:08.567 --> 00:09:11.857
And I think the worst thing that could happen is the fungal.

00:09:12.212 --> 00:09:13.253
Long infection.

00:09:14.052 --> 00:09:16.873
Yes, that fungal infection is serious business.

00:09:16.972 --> 00:09:19.202
And it's really hard to treat.

00:09:20.003 --> 00:09:20.202
Yeah.

00:09:20.202 --> 00:09:20.763
Anytime I'm

00:09:20.773 --> 00:09:28.153
cleaning a pen or working with birds cause the birds will kick up dust off their floors just by you being in there chasing them.

00:09:28.153 --> 00:09:30.523
And I'll wear a respirator sometimes for that too.

00:09:31.052 --> 00:09:31.773
Unless I forget.

00:09:32.273 --> 00:09:32.913
Can't forget.

00:09:32.923 --> 00:09:34.633
My body will remind me.

00:09:34.732 --> 00:09:37.932
I'm in the process now of cleaning out my garage.

00:09:38.013 --> 00:09:40.052
Peat moss everywhere.

00:09:40.462 --> 00:09:41.842
Remember that warning folks.

00:09:41.852 --> 00:09:42.982
It's amazing, but.

00:09:43.413 --> 00:09:45.523
If you use it indoors, it's going to be everywhere.

00:09:45.873 --> 00:09:47.552
But I have to wear my respirator.

00:09:47.552 --> 00:09:53.413
It's a 3M full face mask with an external belt pack with a proper filter.

00:09:53.852 --> 00:10:00.822
If I'm in there more than three or four minutes, I can feel it and I got to put my respirator on and I need to use that garage for other things.

00:10:01.403 --> 00:10:04.442
So as mounting health concerns take care of yourself.

00:10:04.942 --> 00:10:07.692
As long as I protect myself, I can continue poultry keeping.

00:10:08.493 --> 00:10:20.633
There's one thing that we haven't really talked about an advantage to managing your manure and your bedding and all that kind of stuff is that we'll keep down on moisture in the coop.

00:10:21.312 --> 00:10:21.722
Yes.

00:10:21.773 --> 00:10:33.143
And moisture in the coop is not a healthy situation because eventually, if you've got wet bedding, you're going to have a problem with ammonia.

00:10:33.692 --> 00:10:36.243
It all starts with keeping the bedding dry.

00:10:37.043 --> 00:10:38.023
Absolutely.

00:10:38.403 --> 00:10:39.373
Turn it frequently.

00:10:40.173 --> 00:10:44.993
Remove any wet spots because that ammonia, it's really hard on chickens.

00:10:45.033 --> 00:10:51.173
And by the time we can smell it, it's well into the range of damaging your poultry.

00:10:51.673 --> 00:10:52.043
And Rip, you've

00:10:52.682 --> 00:10:55.613
seen these things physically in judging.

00:10:55.613 --> 00:10:57.773
Can you describe Iburn?

00:10:58.572 --> 00:10:59.393
High burn

00:10:59.893 --> 00:11:04.822
looks like and it is caused from the ammonia gas accumulating in brooders and bedding.

00:11:05.322 --> 00:11:09.173
But it will look like almost like a cloudy little cataract.

00:11:09.972 --> 00:11:10.023
I

00:11:10.023 --> 00:11:12.533
was going to ask, similar to a cataract in humans.

00:11:13.113 --> 00:11:13.972
They can't see.

00:11:14.472 --> 00:11:18.373
There's that, and then there's the respiratory distress that it can trigger.

00:11:18.832 --> 00:11:23.423
And if they're standing on it long term, they can get ammonia burns on the bottom of their feet too.

00:11:23.432 --> 00:11:23.802
Yes.

00:11:24.173 --> 00:11:24.472
Yes.

00:11:25.023 --> 00:11:26.472
So this is another reason.

00:11:27.143 --> 00:11:32.513
Often like never let it get wet because when it's wet, you're getting that increased ammonia.

00:11:32.523 --> 00:11:39.962
You're getting increased risk for parasite contamination, and that's going to create the habitat that the flies love too.

00:11:40.003 --> 00:11:40.253
Yes.

00:11:40.283 --> 00:11:48.312
That's going to be your fly larvae is going to start getting laid and start hatching, and it's just going to trigger this whole cycle that you don't want happening in your bedding.

00:11:48.543 --> 00:11:50.663
You want it happening out in your compost pile.

00:11:51.462 --> 00:11:54.173
I see more incidents of wet bedding.

00:11:54.682 --> 00:12:02.523
I don't know about you guys up north, but here it can be a real problem pretty quickly when it's cold weather, because the birds are.

00:12:03.048 --> 00:12:10.467
They basically stay in one sort of confined area and don't get out and move around as much and the manure accumulates in a hurry.

00:12:10.807 --> 00:12:16.988
The moisture can build up because it, even if you're not spilling water, you got moisture in that manure.

00:12:17.597 --> 00:12:19.168
And you can have problems with that.

00:12:19.967 --> 00:12:28.427
Now, for some people, they clean often, like they have poo boards in the coop where they can just scrape it off daily, or maybe they attack it weekly.

00:12:29.102 --> 00:12:36.812
And then there's another method with the deep litter method, where you're not cleaning as often, but you're still maintaining the environment.

00:12:36.842 --> 00:12:39.143
You're not letting it get excessively wet.

00:12:39.143 --> 00:12:45.682
You're not letting it get excessively poopy by adding little bits of bedding over time

00:12:46.153 --> 00:12:46.253
to

00:12:46.253 --> 00:12:47.743
create that deep litter.

00:12:47.743 --> 00:12:53.413
It's almost like a self composting system that you clean out, usually twice a year.

00:12:53.592 --> 00:12:57.062
I've tried it, but I can't keep up with it.

00:12:57.072 --> 00:12:58.102
So I do,

00:12:58.432 --> 00:12:59.753
that's been my challenge.

00:13:00.052 --> 00:13:00.763
Yeah.

00:13:01.182 --> 00:13:06.552
So I scrub out pretty often, but I'm using a lot of sand and peat moss.

00:13:06.562 --> 00:13:10.802
So it's more of a sifting, retrieving the poo, but leaving the bulk of the bedding there.

00:13:11.023 --> 00:13:13.352
Locally, we run out of peat moss about.

00:13:13.743 --> 00:13:21.653
Midwinter because it's tightly rationed coming out of Canada and that's when I start throwing straw and even hay down.

00:13:22.253 --> 00:13:27.653
And that's right when things start getting, start thawing and getting a little damp and moist in the coop.

00:13:27.653 --> 00:13:29.923
And it's exactly when I don't want that happening.

00:13:30.722 --> 00:13:34.863
Our local feed mill started getting really fine chopped pine shavings.

00:13:35.253 --> 00:13:37.633
And I've got to say, I prefer them.

00:13:38.432 --> 00:13:42.982
Way over the bigger flake, like you can get a large flake, medium flake.

00:13:42.982 --> 00:13:44.552
There's a lot of different sizes.

00:13:44.552 --> 00:13:49.163
And if you're doing pine shavings, my preference is for the finer chopped.

00:13:49.513 --> 00:13:49.883
Yes.

00:13:50.682 --> 00:13:52.832
It breaks down faster in the compost pile.

00:13:52.832 --> 00:13:53.932
It spreads further.

00:13:53.932 --> 00:13:57.133
You can get more in a bale and then they compress it.

00:13:57.702 --> 00:14:02.432
And then the birds don't confuse it for food, because I tried the pellets, the little wood pellets.

00:14:02.942 --> 00:14:04.123
Oh, they thought they were yummy.

00:14:04.572 --> 00:14:05.423
Oh, yeah.

00:14:05.482 --> 00:14:12.293
And I get worried about crop impactions, and I get worried about them missing their nutrition if they spend too much time eating the wrong thing.

00:14:12.732 --> 00:14:19.462
So my betting choices usually fall in with what they're not going to eat, because mine love to find new food sources.

00:14:20.263 --> 00:14:20.373
Yeah.

00:14:20.503 --> 00:14:22.212
And I don't want it to be their betting.

00:14:23.013 --> 00:14:24.072
You were talking about.

00:14:24.873 --> 00:14:33.822
The size of the pine bedding, those fine chips, to me, don't seem to compact and hold moisture.

00:14:34.363 --> 00:14:35.852
Yeah, they stay fluffier.

00:14:36.182 --> 00:14:38.263
Yeah, the way the bigger size does.

00:14:38.633 --> 00:14:41.722
And you would think that being smaller it would get wetter faster.

00:14:42.143 --> 00:14:46.842
But, just go in there, just take a raker in there and just rake it around a little bit, stir it up.

00:14:47.643 --> 00:14:49.472
You get a lot of good use out of that stuff.

00:14:50.273 --> 00:14:51.952
Yeah, it lasts longer than the bigger

00:14:51.952 --> 00:14:52.373
plate.

00:14:52.373 --> 00:14:53.452
I tried, literally.

00:14:53.817 --> 00:15:00.028
making some sort of a sifter to sift and recycle their peat and dry it and reuse it.

00:15:00.077 --> 00:15:00.408
Yeah.

00:15:00.447 --> 00:15:01.158
How'd that work out?

00:15:01.918 --> 00:15:02.768
Fantastic.

00:15:03.087 --> 00:15:03.567
Okay.

00:15:03.998 --> 00:15:10.258
So I'll use a leaf rake to go through and build a pile and that'll catch, all the bigger poops.

00:15:10.618 --> 00:15:14.918
And then I took a horse stall fork with the basket on it.

00:15:14.918 --> 00:15:18.878
Cause I know you can get horse stall forks in a couple of different styles.

00:15:18.878 --> 00:15:20.457
And I like the full basket.

00:15:20.878 --> 00:15:24.138
And then I line that with quarter inch hardware cloth.

00:15:24.668 --> 00:15:28.327
And I just use zip ties and kind of form it to fit, cut off the excess.

00:15:28.977 --> 00:15:42.528
And that basket being lined with the quarter inch hardware cloth, now I can use the tines, dig in, grab a scoop out of my pile, give it three taps, three shakes, and the only thing left in that basket is the poop.

00:15:43.327 --> 00:15:43.927
Nice.

00:15:44.317 --> 00:15:53.927
I've not done that with peat moss, but what you're saying would really work, but I have created a similar thing when for sand bedding and I

00:15:53.927 --> 00:15:54.988
started it with sand.

00:15:55.107 --> 00:15:57.658
You can buy them now for a metal detecting.

00:15:57.677 --> 00:15:59.597
You can get shovels with holes already in them.

00:15:59.702 --> 00:16:01.812
That was back in the day when you couldn't get those things.

00:16:02.143 --> 00:16:13.302
I'm not talking about how old I am or anything, but I used a little pooper scooper sets for dogs and a little rake and then a little scoop type thing.

00:16:13.552 --> 00:16:14.472
That was very Zen.

00:16:14.908 --> 00:16:19.618
And I took the the scoop thing and I just drilled a little hole, just lots of little holes in it.

00:16:20.038 --> 00:16:27.057
And just like you said, Mandy, you can get it full of manure and shake it a couple of three times and then just dump out nothing but manure and maybe feathers.

00:16:27.638 --> 00:16:32.368
And that really helps to relieve the compost pile of an excessive biomass buildup.

00:16:32.369 --> 00:16:37.048
But nothing built a bigger pile than when I was trying to use straw.

00:16:37.368 --> 00:16:42.597
Cause straw here, it's cheap, it's plentiful, but it's not, Absorbent.

00:16:42.857 --> 00:16:48.898
I had a lot of complaints about straw, like it's good for insulation, and that's about it.

00:16:48.908 --> 00:16:50.408
The rest of the year, I hate straw.

00:16:50.418 --> 00:16:53.298
It builds up too fast, takes forever to break down,

00:16:53.298 --> 00:16:54.008
floats away,

00:16:54.727 --> 00:16:55.648
and I can't use the

00:16:55.649 --> 00:16:56.327
tool.

00:16:56.508 --> 00:16:58.467
Has either one of you guys tried leaves?

00:16:58.918 --> 00:17:02.857
We don't have a lot of deciduous trees down here, and we don't get all that many leaves.

00:17:03.658 --> 00:17:09.288
I, I rake everything downhill into, so my compost method is a hugelkultur.

00:17:09.792 --> 00:17:12.553
And we have a lot of deciduous trees in the area.

00:17:12.553 --> 00:17:16.123
So when I rake the yard every year, I rake it downhill.

00:17:16.702 --> 00:17:32.613
And I put it all into the hugelkultur mound and it's three or four feet tall chest height by the time I'm done in the fall and in the spring, it's ankle deep again and ready for more stuff.

00:17:33.103 --> 00:17:40.803
We blow them into the outside runs and it'll go in by the time I open up the gates and split piles between the pens.

00:17:41.282 --> 00:17:49.042
It'll be like three to four foot deep leaves in the run and I'll push it all the way until maybe five feet from the pop doors.

00:17:49.417 --> 00:17:53.198
So then when the chickens come out, they stare at it and they go, wow, what's that

00:17:53.998 --> 00:17:54.688
buffet?

00:17:54.688 --> 00:17:55.528
They're taller than they're,

00:17:55.948 --> 00:18:02.127
but then they get brave and they start going in there and doing their little chicken things of stirring it up and spreading it around.

00:18:02.127 --> 00:18:04.167
By the time it's spring, it's gone.

00:18:04.228 --> 00:18:05.067
It's gone.

00:18:05.248 --> 00:18:05.548
Yeah.

00:18:05.938 --> 00:18:07.258
I've got a friend in Alabama.

00:18:08.057 --> 00:18:10.127
It helps the soil within the runs a lot.

00:18:10.127 --> 00:18:10.188
Oh,

00:18:10.188 --> 00:18:10.738
you bet.

00:18:11.117 --> 00:18:24.127
I've got a friend in Alabama that raises buckeyes and black turkeys, and he will put probably two feet of raked up leaves in each hen as bedding.

00:18:24.137 --> 00:18:29.837
And he said they go through that stuff in a hurry and they break it up and it gets really fine.

00:18:30.198 --> 00:18:35.407
And he says next year, he's got some of the most beautiful compost for his garden.

00:18:36.208 --> 00:18:36.798
Yes.

00:18:37.307 --> 00:18:49.788
Leaf mold is awesome and you add chicken the act of stirring and breaking down and shredding as well as, all the insects that are coming in to feed off of this process are being consumed by the chickens.

00:18:49.798 --> 00:18:56.188
So you're increasing their natural protein source and decreasing your feed bill and producing happier, healthy chickens.

00:18:56.357 --> 00:18:58.998
It just, it's a beautiful cycle and it all works.

00:18:59.798 --> 00:19:06.958
So I was doing some reading and it says that they'll poop anywhere from 12 to 15 times per day.

00:19:07.428 --> 00:19:12.817
They're going to average anywhere from 80 to 100 grams of manure per bird per day.

00:19:13.337 --> 00:19:19.208
And it ends up being 3 4 percent of their body weight is coming out the backside every single day.

00:19:20.008 --> 00:19:23.667
And that can add up to almost 6 pounds per bird per month.

00:19:24.468 --> 00:19:25.928
So it's worth figuring out

00:19:25.928 --> 00:19:27.048
what your plan is.

00:19:27.847 --> 00:19:30.248
Sounds like you've been doing some computations there, Mandy.

00:19:30.817 --> 00:19:31.337
Yeah, a couple.

00:19:31.857 --> 00:19:32.278
That should be

00:19:32.288 --> 00:19:36.728
part of your capacity planning and most people don't account for the amount of manure.

00:19:37.178 --> 00:19:38.788
Not until it's piled up and stinky.

00:19:38.798 --> 00:19:39.357
Yeah,

00:19:39.367 --> 00:19:51.498
we love our feed conversion ratios, but You got to think about where is all that other food that's going in the front end that's not being converted to meat and eggs going and it's right out the back.

00:19:51.498 --> 00:19:57.827
So we need to capture as much nutritional value while it's in the bird and utilize it.

00:19:58.498 --> 00:20:02.248
And without wasting it too, because there is such a thing as too much protein.

00:20:03.048 --> 00:20:14.847
And if you feed that protein excessively, it's coming immediately out of that backside, and it has a much higher nitrogen content that converts to ammonia.

00:20:14.847 --> 00:20:21.438
You're increasing the ammonia if you're excessively feeding protein, which makes it stinkier, it makes it more hazardous.

00:20:22.018 --> 00:20:29.218
Yeah, so the number one way to save money and labor all the way around is to feed the appropriate ration.

00:20:30.018 --> 00:20:31.258
At the appropriate time

00:20:32.057 --> 00:20:33.347
and to feed grit.

00:20:34.147 --> 00:20:34.738
Oh yeah.

00:20:34.748 --> 00:20:35.167
To help.

00:20:35.198 --> 00:20:35.518
That

00:20:35.518 --> 00:20:41.678
Really, you would not think I was surprised back before I religiously fed my birds grit.

00:20:42.478 --> 00:20:48.188
And then I switched over and I was really surprised at the reduction in the amount of manure.

00:20:48.988 --> 00:20:49.938
And the healthier bird.

00:20:49.939 --> 00:21:01.288
Proper gizzard action is going to extract and release more micro and macro nutrients, make them available to the bird and let less go out the back end.

00:21:01.938 --> 00:21:06.887
And they're actually eating about 15 to 20 percent less feed.

00:21:07.657 --> 00:21:10.417
So that reduces your manure output.

00:21:11.097 --> 00:21:15.877
Especially if you're providing a quality feed, that's a whole grain with fibers.

00:21:16.188 --> 00:21:20.678
Thank you for joining us for Part One of Manure Managemnt here on the Poultry Keepers Podcast.

00:21:21.147 --> 00:21:28.948
Be sure to join us next Tuesday for Part two of this series Remember, we talk poultry, from Feathers To Function.