Bedding Alternatives 1. Bedding issues facing US poultry and Options - PDF document

Outline of Presentation Bedding Alternatives 1. Bedding issues facing US poultry and Options industry 2. Management options with bedding shortages Bud Malone 3. Alternative bedding materials University of Delaware 4. Option to extend litter life Presented at the PA Sales & Service Conference in Lancaster, PA on 9/19/07 NCC Bedding Survey Periodic Shortages Due To:  Regional shortages from Mid-Atlantic  Seasonal demand by to Southeast to South poultry  Short- and Long-term issues influencing  Housing market shortages  Temporary  Expect situation only to get worse! disruption of supplies -Decrease availability -Higher cost -Weather -Poor quality -Mill repairs Long-Term Regional Bedding Issues! Bedding Issues!  Milling technology  Changing land ownership (urbanization,  Trade issues and markets conservation groups, land use, land for loblolly pine prices)  Competing uses:  Energy -Particle board  Horses -Energy for mills, industry and homes  Landscape/horticulture -Carrier for pesticide  Plus on DMV high timber prices and (peanut hulls) limited supply to support existing mills= 1

Delmarva Mill Closures Regional Projections  Slight increase in pine harvest on Delmarva but not mill  Closure of 4 of output (more efficient milling) 8 mills past 5  Expect continued competing uses but balance offset by new industry or closure of existing industries (ie. pulpwood/chips) years  Bedding supply issues/opportunities by state:  Loss 70% of -MD: stable to slight decrease pine milling -DE: decrease -PA & WV: slight increase in residues if export market capacity develops -NJ: potential source of pine fiber if reprocessed into bedding Dan Rider, MD DNR Managing With Managing With Shortages Shortages  Reduce frequency of  Stockpile for peak usage (higher cost, cleanouts (ventilation, fire risk) drinker management, litter  Reduce placement depth (need dry amendments and health bedding: good house/litter/crusting programs help, BUT management )  Consequences:  Import from other states (cost-effective -Caused mills to seek materials and transportation) alternative markets  On-farm storage to offset scheduling -Decreased performance and issues and cost issues health Managing With Managing With Shortages Shortages  Re-process chips and  Long-term investment into residues into bedding shavings mill or re-process wood material (quality???) chips into sawdust-like material to supplement supply 2

Quality Pine Shavings/Sawdust is the Alternative Premier Bedding !!! Bedding Materials Other Wood Products - Supplement with Hardwood Limited Success  Some use dry or treated hardwood  Chips (green oak ??)  Wood pellets  Poplar = health/mold  Pine straw  Ground pallets to pine and less litter  Bark  Paper mill cake/foot pad lesions residues than poor quality pine  Leaves Poplar Sawdust (UD study funded by USDA, FS) Composted /Recycled Horse Composted Land Clearing/ Bedding Poultry/Ag Waste  Local supply and cost  Local supply and cost effective? effective?  Preliminary research suggest worthy to proceed to larger trial.  Screened shavings used for dairy but not tested for poultry Terra Gro; Peach Bottom, PA 3

Coca Bean/Peanut Hulls Plant Products  Hulls (rice, peanut, coca/coffee bean,  Opportunity to use limited to few areas cottonseed, sunflower, soybean, oat,  Low moisture (7-8%), can wheat) be dusty  Straw/stalks (wheat, barley, rye, oat,  Peanut hulls difficult to flax, soybean, corn, corn cob, kenaf spread, higher ammonia and storage issues??? core, switch grass, Bermuda grass, citrus pulp, sugar cane bagasse)  Limited use in broilers and Wheat Straw turkeys in US  Often available at competitive cost  Must chopped <1 inch  Difficult to manage, best used as topping or mixed with other bedding  40,000 lbs per 20,000 ft 2 house May Require Alternative Material Handling Equipment (turkey growout)  Need equipment to blow into house & spread with tractor Coordination and timely rake baling critical!!!  Best if exposed to rain one time, avoid wet straw  Clean-out difficult Link, 2002 Earth Products Growing Broilers on Sand  Beach sand used in  Sand 1920’s on Delmarva  Used in areas deficient of bedding materials  Clay  Renewed interest – extended litter  Peat moss reuse/alternative market for litter  Research + field trials in MD, AL, NC, AR, GA 4

Sand Masonry-grade sand from local Advantages Disadvantages plants??  Less beetles  High moisture, must dry out  Potential alternative- use markets  Initially requires more heat (place in  Cost-effective IF warm weather, use local radiant heaters  May limit some end uses  Higher dust and ammonia? Paper-Base Products Recycled Products  Some shredded paper being used,  Newspaper/cardboard (shredded, cut better than shred, best as topping processed, pelletized)  Some pelleted paper (AL) and  Composted municipal garbage cardboard (NC/SC) being used, limited supply, hard pellets works  Plastics well  Foam (polystyrene, urethane)  Ground sheet rock (NC firm); used as base layer, nutrient  Recycled sheetrock management benefits??  Shredded tires (Need local, cheap, consistent quality and compatible material handling) Envirobed Bedding Study (Hulet, PSU) Alternatives to  Chipped cardboard Cleanout tubes, dust/fines removed and baled  Compared to Why Do You shavings, broiler performance same, lower moisture and Cleanout? better water absorption. 5

Cleanout to: Cut Centers to Manage Litter Depth • Reduce heat stress  Maintain optimum • Reduce depth to performance/cost avoid equipment damage  Reduce challenges due to • More even disease and stressors (i.e. distribution of litter for nutrient ammonia ) management plan In- House “Composting” as a Means of Cooper Hatchery Litter Sanitation Reducing Pathogens and Extend Litter Life  Cake removed, apply lime (50-150 #/1000 ft2), till, stockpile (4’ high) for 3 days  Spread and let dry  Reduce litter bacteria, ammonia and odor Poultry Sci. 1987 UD Preliminary Study (~1990) Effect of Hydrated Lime on Litter Microflora 8 7  4- flock litter piled (4’) for 3 days 6  Treatments = pine sawdust, used litter, 5 log #/g of litter 4 T Bacteria used litter with Phos Acid, stacked litter, Molds 3 Coliforms stacked litter with Phos Acid 2 1  Reared in chambers to 14 days, 0 afterwards grown on used litter 0 50 100 150 lbs of Hydrated Lime 6

In-House Composting/ Para Age Pine Used Used + Stack Stack (d) + PA meter Pasteurization/BHT SD Litter PA Litter • Reduce pathogens, beetles, NH 3 1-14 15 39 14 34 10 ammonia, crusting. (ppm) • Improves performance??? BT 1 1 112 --- 4 .5 (10 7 ) • Recondition/dry Body 14 .51 .53 --- .55 .56 litter/extend life. Wt. • Used by commercially and (lbs) by organic producers Body 41 3.71 3.76 3.81 3.82 3.93 Wt. (lbs) Windrow Formation Pathogen Reduction (UD, AU, LSU)  Causes thermal, chemical and biological kill.  Eliminates: Coliforms, Salmonella, LT  Reduces: Clostridium Perfringens (~50%), Total Aerobic Bacteria (~10- 30%), Anaerobic Bacteria (~60-80%) In-House Litter Windrowing: In-House Windrowing Challenges •Make two+ (~3’ high) windrows immediately after movement, no  Time required during layout crusting. • Allow to heat 3-5 days minimum  Grower’s ability, equipment and desire (130F+), turn windrows?  Cost to build and spread windrows • Litter moisture key to heat (35% Average daily windrow temperature readings at 1ft. depth ideal)  High levels of dust and ammonia • Questions: Layout time, 150  “Odor” 140 Temperature (F) cost/return, windrowing method, 130 21% 120 23% 110 turning windrows, ammonia, 100 26% 90 80 35% problem or all farms, interval of 70 60 windrowing??? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Day 7

IL Turkey Grower Organic Broiler Operation  Brown Bear equipment used on 80 houses past year  Brown Bear equipment used by 3 farms  Washdown, form 3- 4 rows in 50’wide house  Form 3- 4 rows in 40’wide house (deep litter)  Up to 3 turns (3 day intervals) with temperatures up to  Set 48 hrs (140-150F), best turn 3 times 150 F. Spread and aerate on day10, place chicks day 12.  Advantages:  Advantages: -No crusting, reconditions and better quality litter -No crusting or bedding replacement, improved bird -Less ammonia (~50%), fuel and beetles (80%) health, less beetles and ammonia. 12 month pay back -24 month pay back (bedding cost) (bedding cost) Delmarva Interest in Outlook for Bedding and Alternatives Windrowing Expect more re-processed pine products as supplement 1. or blend BUT the poultry industry must make long-term  3 of 4 companies evaluating windrowing commitments for suppliers to make this investment!  Most interest is break disease cycle on May be local sources of wood and paper base products 2. alternatives. problem farms and address bedding Management techniques to reduce pathogens (ie. 3. shortage/cost. windrowing) will be implemented to offset frequency of  One “may” implement company -wide cleanout and bedding demand/cost. Cost of quality bedding will not decrease! 4. program. 8