Litter Alternatives and 1. Bedding (litter) issues facing US - PDF document

Outline of Presentation Litter Alternatives and 1. Bedding (litter) issues facing US Windrowing Programs poultry industry 2. Management options with bedding shortages Bud Malone 3. Alternative materials University of Delaware 4. Windrowing to extend litter life Presented at the VA Poultry Health & Management Conference in Roanoke, VA on 4/08/08 Periodic Shortages Due To: NCC Bedding Survey  Seasonal demand by  Regional shortages from Mid-Atlantic poultry to Southeast to South  Temporary disruption of  Short- and long-term issues influencing supplies shortages -Weather  Expect situation only to get worse! -Mill repairs -Decrease availability  Depressed housing -Higher cost “Sawdust Shock: A Shortage Looms As Economy Slows”. Wall Street market & construction -Poor quality Journal, March 3, 2008. Long-Term Bedding Economic Issues on Delmarva Issues!  Closure of 4 of  Milling technology  Trade issues and markets for loblolly 8 mills past 6 pine  Competing uses: years -Export markets (2 pellet plants in VA) -Particle board  Loss 70% of -Energy for mills, industry and homes pine milling -Landscaping/hort uses -Horse industry capacity  Urbanization/changing land ownership  Less forest/timber 1

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  May need to commit to long-term  Re-process chips and investment in shavings mill (or re- residues into bedding process wood chips into sawdust- material (quality???) like material) to supplement supply. Higher cost, must contract (10 yrs) to guarantee future supply. Managing With Shortages Alternative  Purchase bedding by volume, not the “load” or weight!!! Bedding Materials 2

Supplement with Hardwood Quality Pine Shavings/Sawdust is the Premier Bedding !!!  Some use dry or treated hardwood (green oak ??)  Poplar = health/mold similar to pine and less litter cake/foot pad lesions than poor Poplar Sawdust quality pine Other Wood Products - Composted Land Clearing/ Limited Success Poultry/Ag Waste  Local supply and cost effective?  Chips  Preliminary research encouraging.  Wood pellets  Pine straw  Ground pallets 1975  Bark  Paper mill residues  Leaves Wk 5 mortality on dermatitis farm: Control 1.5/k, Compost 0.4.k Coca Bean/Peanut Hulls Plant Products  Opportunity to use limited to  Hulls (rice, peanut, coca/coffee bean, few areas  Low moisture (7-8%), can be cottonseed, sunflower, soybean, oat, dusty wheat)  Coca bean house smells good!!  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) 3

Earth Products Recycled Products  Newspaper/cardboard (shredded,  Sand processed, pelletized)  Composted municipal garbage  Clay  Plastics  Foam (polystyrene, urethane)  Peat moss  Recycled sheetrock  Shredded tires Paper-Base Envirobed Bedding Study (Hulet, PSU) Products  Some shredded paper being used,  Chipped cardboard cut better than shred, best as topping tubes, dust/fines  Some pelleted paper (AL) and removed and baled  Compared to cardboard (NC/SC) being used, limited supply, hard pellets works shavings, broiler well performance same,  Ground sheet rock (NC firm); used as base layer, nutrient lower moisture and management benefits?? better water (Need local, cheap, consistent quality and compatible material handling) absorption. Issues Besides Bedding Shortage Windrowing Litter as a Means of Extending Litter Life and Reducing Pathogens  Breaking disease cycle on farms  Pressure to reduce anti-microbial usage  Increase regulatory oversight of on-farm litter spillage/storage  Sequence cleanout with land application (minimize storage) 4

Windrowing/In-House Composting/ Pasteurization/BHT Windrowing Overview is Not New! Cooper Hatchery Litter Sanitation – Poultry Sci. 1987  Been tried in many southern states using  Cake removed, stockpile (4’ high) for 3 days, and added lime for blades, skid-steer and aerators (MS, LA, additional pathogen kill AL).  Spread and let dry  Used to extend litter life, disease control (ie.  Reduce litter bacteria, ammonia and odor U of D Stacking Study -1990 LT) and alternative to litter amendments.  Used litter stacked 3 days and compared to fresh pine sawdust, used  Research at LSU, UA, Auburn and UD litter and with/without litter amendment  Chicks grown in chambers 14 days on litters, reared together found it eliminates coliforms, Salmonella afterwards and respiratory virus; reduces clostridium  Results: stacked had best weights with least bacteria perfringes.  Industry not interested at that time Methods of In-House Composting: Blade Methods of In-House Composting: Skid-steer • Equipment may be available on some farms • Places all litter and hardpan in windrows • Requires removing or pulverizing cake • Piles larger and slower to reach temperature • Small piles and turning a challenge • Unless turned, must crust afterwards and potential high ammonia In-House Litter Windrowing Methods of In-House Composting: Aerator • Pathogen reduction via thermal, Average daily windrow temperature readings at 1ft. depth chemical and biological. • Goal is minimum of 130 F for 3-5 150 140 Temperature (F) 130 21% days; but lower temps also kill 120 23% 110 100 26% pathogens 90 35% 80 70 • Litter moisture key to heat (35% 60 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ideal, but less still works). Day • Piles heat from outside inward, • Appears to be most common method core at floor lowest temps being used 140 • Faster heating and reduces/eliminates (?) (additional reason for turning 120 cake piles). 0-4" 100 • Systems commercially available, cost 6" • Form windrows immediately 12" 80 varies 18" after movement, incorporate cake 60 • Requires additional equipment and time to if minimum amount. 40 get all litter from sidewalls and corners 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 5

All Natural Broiler Operation IL Turkey Grower  Brown Bear equipment used on 80 houses past year  Washdown, form 2- 4 rows in 50’wide house  Brown Bear equipment used by 3 farms  Turn 2-3 times (3 day intervals) with temperatures up to 150 F.  Form 3- 4 rows in 40’wide house (deep litter) Spread and aerate on day10, place chicks day 12.  Set 48 hrs (140-150F), best turn 3 times  Advantages:  Advantages: -No crusting or bedding replacement, 60% improvement in bird -No crusting, reconditions and health (2 flocks for necrotic enteritis), less beetles (40%) and ammonia. better quality litter 12 month pay back (bedding cost) -Less ammonia (~50%), fuel and beetles (80%) -24 month pay back (bedding cost) Georgia Broiler Complex Delmarva Windrowing Status  Had high incidence of Runt/Stunting.  Being adopted or tested by all companies (performance and bedding concerns).  Over past year growers started windrowing using  Appears to break disease cycle (i.e. dermatitis) on problem farms. blades, skid-steer and aerator.  Have 3 commercial contractors with  Turn windrows at 3-5 days, provide minimum Brown Bear units, 3 growers with aerators, ventilation during process. others use skid-steer.  75% grower adoption today.  “Learning - curve” on procedures  Bedding savings but 4%  UD studies on pathogen reduction and better livability and validate procedures and cost:benefit more pounds to plant! for possible cost-share . Performance Improvement Using In-House Mortality Improvement with In-House Composting of Litter on a Problem Farm Composting on Dermatitis Problem Farm Parameter Change from Change from Flock Movement Mortality (%) Number Dead Previous Flock Previous 4 Flocks May 07 11.74 8200 Total mortality (%) -5.3 -3.1 July 07 8.23 5750 Sept 07 9.65 5000 Body Wt (lbs) +.87 +1.28 (Age, d) (-1) (+2) Avg prior to composting 9.87 6317 Feed Conversion -.24 --- Nov 07 (composted) 4.48 3132 Difference -5.39 (55% less) 3185 Grower pay/lb ($) +.0099 +.0066 (6 lbs @ $.0425 = $812) ( Source: Bud Malone, UD Source: Bud Malone, UD 6