The Surprising Power of Chicken Manure
Published:06 May2021    Source:Crop Science

Each year, American farmers raise billions of chickens, more than enough for a “chicken for every pot,” as Herbert Hoover’s campaign once promised. But all those birds mean a lot of something else: manure. Poultry litter is the mix of manure and bedding materials coming from the poultry industry. Farms produce millions of tons each year.

 
Like other animal wastes, poultry litter is a natural choice as farm fertilizer. Although it’s widely used, there’s still a lot we don’t know about how — and if — poultry litter helps crops.