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Chicken manure is the feces of chickens used as an organic fertilizer, especially for soil low in nitrogen. [1] Of all animal manures, it has the highest amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. [2] Chicken manure is sometimes pelletized for use as a fertilizer, and this product may have additional phosphorus, potassium or nitrogen added. [3]
There have been a number of other substances used for ammonia control. A study in Finland found that peat, which is high in humic acid, when used as poultry litter it was quite effective in controlling ammonia. A number of products have also appeared on the market using de-nitrifying or nitrogen-fixing bacteria. [4]
For instance, sheep manure is high in nitrogen and potash, while pig manure is relatively low in both. Horses mainly eat grass and a few weeds, so horse manure can contain grass and weed seeds, as horses do not digest seeds as cattle do. Cattle manure is a good source of nitrogen as well as organic carbon. [3]
Therefore, manure is required to be composted which will ideally kill any seeds or pathogens and reduce the ammonia content. [9] A large commercial compost operation. Chicken litter, which consists of chicken manure and bedding, is an organic fertilizer that has been proposed to be superior for conditioning soil for harvest to synthetic ...
The main nitrogen-based straight fertilizer is ammonia (NH 3) ammonium (NH 4 +) or its solutions, including: Ammonium nitrate (NH 4 NO 3) with 34-35% nitrogen is also widely used. Urea (CO(NH 2) 2), with 45-46% nitrogen, another popular source of nitrogen, having the advantage that it is solid and non-explosive, unlike ammonia and ammonium nitrate.
Even though nitrogen is a necessary element for life, too much of it in water can have negative effects on aquatic ecosystems and endanger human health. Agricultural runoff, where fertilizers containing nitrogen compounds can seep into rivers, lakes, and groundwater, is one of the main sources of nitrogen in water.
Bone meal provides phosphorus and calcium to plants, along with a largely inconsequential amount of nitrogen. [4] The N-P-K rating of bone meal is typically 3–15–0 [5] along with a calcium content of around 12% (18% CaO equiv.), [6] although it can vary quite a bit depending on the source from 1–13–0 to 3–22–0.
The high quantity of manure produced by a CAFO must be dealt with in some way, as improper manure management can result in water, air and soil damage. [5] As a result, manure collection and disposal has become an increasing problem. [6] In order to manage their waste, CAFOs have developed agricultural wastewater treatment plans.