1992 Annual Report for ANE92-014
Integrated Kenaf, Broiler Manure and Beef Production Systems
Summary
This two year educational project will use demonstrations, field days and newsletters to promote the use of a waste - broiler chicken manure - as an abundant and inexpensive source of feed and pasture fertilizer for beef production.
Broiler production is heavily concentrated on the Delmarva peninsula, with over 500 million chickens produced annually. Delmarva is the area between the Atlantic Ocean and Delaware Bay and the Chesapeake Bay that is part of the states of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.
In Delaware, broiler production is concentrated in the southern portion of the state, an area that has sandy soils and high water tables. Over 230 million broilers are grown yearly in this region. They produce over 260,000 tons of manure annually, which contains nearly 16 million pounds of nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen ends up in groundwater. The nitrate concentration in the water table aquifer is increasing where broiler production is concentrated.
Methods of preventing nitrate leaching from agricultural sources must be found to protect groundwater. The beef industry could utilize part of this broiler manure as a feed ingredient and as a pasture fertilizer.
In this project, kenaf, will be grown and used on the farm for boiler litter as a substitute for sawdust and its beef feeding value determined. Beef producers, consumers and others will be able to sample broiler manure fed beef at a field day at the conclusion of the feeding trial.
In this project, farmers will be shown that broiler manure can be used to fertilize pastures just as effectively as chemical fertilizers and when applied at low rates at the proper time, it will not degrade groundwater quality or be detrimental to beef animal health. Also, plan to show that manure can lower costs while improving pasture production.
The quality of kenaf and sawdust based litter-broiler manure as a plant nutrient sink and fertilizer source will be compared in a laboratory study. An integrated kenaf/broiler/beef farm production system will be developed that will lower production costs while protecting groundwater quality from excess nitrate from broiler manure.
Continual expansion of the broiler industry (about five percent per year) has created an increased demand for sawdust and shavings as poultry litter. Costs have risen, and supply has been variable. As a result, broiler producers are cleaning out growing houses less frequently and broiler mortality has risen to over eight percent. Preliminary tests have shown that chopped kenaf could be used as an alternative litter material. Growing kenaf and using it for poultry litter could reduce litter costs and encourage more frequent manure removal.
Preliminary tests have shown that kenaf based broiler manure is more digestible in the rumen then sawdust based broiler manure. This needs to be investigated further to support the use of kenaf as a poultry litter.
Beef producers will be surveyed at the beginning and end of the project to determine the extent of broiler manure usage in beef production, impediments to usage and intent to change practices.