Location: Pasture Systems & Watershed Management Research
Project Number: 8070-13000-015-012-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Jan 11, 2021
End Date: Jan 10, 2023
Objective:
To support UMES's pen tests to evaluate effectiveness of an organic poultry litter amendment to control ammonia emissions and reduce environmental losses to the environment.
Approach:
UMES will allocate use of their environmental poultry house facility to test an organic poultry litter amendment that is proposed by an ARS scientist. UMES will grow one broiler flock to prepare the house, then conduct two replicated pen trials to assess the effectiveness of the new amendment for controlling ammonia emissions in comparison to a commonly used non-organic amendment that is an industry standard. In addition to collecting ammonia emission data and standard environmental parameters of humidity and temperature, footpad scores will be collected to assess that aspect of bird health.
