Packaging of Poultry Litter for Economically Viable Storage and Transportation

Poultry production in the United States has reached record levels. Broilers in particular are being delivered to market at a rate in excess of 8 billion birds annually. The aged bedding material that must be removed from the houses where these birds are grown is known as broiler litter. It is generated at an average rate of 1.2-1.7 tons per thousand broilers. The annual production of broiler litter in the U.S. then ranges from 9.6-13.6 million tons. Traditionally broiler litter has been disposed of by applying it on local farms for application as a crop fertilizer. The litter is usually applied in spring to fields that are being prepared for planting. Application is typically performed with manure spreaders at a rate of 2-3 tons per acre not to exceed 5 tons per acre per year. In addition to water contamination problems, excessive application of broiler litter (in excess of 8 tons per acre) has actually been shown to reduce crop growth . The main problem with the existing practice is the vast quantities of broiler litter currently being generated far exceeds the capacity that local farms can utilize. Consequently, too much litter is applied to the soil. This results in leaching of the excess nutrients into the surface or ground water. In this project we will investigate the feasibility of baling poultry litter for long term storage and handling in an economically viable fashion.