With the focus more than ever on eco-agriculture, many farmers are converting livestock and poultry manure into compost, a bio-organic fertilizer.
When it comes to broiler chickens, they excrete approximately 0.14kg per day. Since chickens don’t absorb many of the nutrients in their feed, chicken manure is nutrient-rich. However, chicken manure cannot be used in other applications before it has been treated effectively to clear pathogens and parasites that may be present. Additionally, crops cannot directly absorb the uric acid in chicken manure.
Pigs excrete approximately 1.9kg stool per day, and similarly to chicken excrement, it’s nutrient-rich, particularly in potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorus. Organic content accounts for approx. 20% of pig stool and the water content is approx. 70%, so drying and composting is key to remove excessive water. It can be mixed with other items of low water content such as leaves, branches, cut grass, straw, and sawdust, to help cut down on the energy used during the drying process.
To take advantage of the nutrient-rich animal waste, compost can be made using the following equipment: