Poultry manure

Poultry manure composition reflects the bird type, feed ration, litter material used in housing, and how long and under what conditions the material has been stored before spreading. Layer manure, broiler litter, and turkey litter can differ noticeably in nutrient concentration and moisture content.

Poultry manure supplies nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in a mix of readily available and organically bound forms, together with organic matter. Its nitrogen content is often high enough that it is managed as a significant nitrogen source rather than a minor supplement.

• A relatively fast-mineralising nitrogen fraction contributes to short-term crop-available nitrogen
• Phosphorus content is often high relative to crop phosphorus need, raising a build-up risk with repeated use
• Contributes organic matter, though generally less bulk per unit of nutrient than cattle manure

Poultry manure is used across cereal, vegetable, and forage systems as a nitrogen- and phosphorus-rich organic fertilizer, particularly valuable in regions with concentrated poultry production where local availability lowers transport cost relative to its nutrient content.

• A relatively concentrated organic nutrient source compared with other manures
• Recycles nutrients from poultry production back into cropland
• Contributes to soil organic matter, though in smaller volumes than bulkier manures

Because nitrogen and phosphorus content and availability vary considerably, general practice is to test the manure where feasible and apply based on the more limiting nutrient — often phosphorus given its comparatively high concentration in poultry manure — to avoid long-term soil phosphorus accumulation.

Poultry manure’s relatively high and readily available nitrogen content makes it prone to ammonia volatilisation losses if left unincorporated, and its comparatively high phosphorus content raises the risk of phosphorus accumulation and runoff where application is repeatedly based on a nitrogen target rather than phosphorus.