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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Florence, South Carolina » Coastal Plain Soil, Water and Plant Conservation Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #321655
Title: Effect of in-house chicken litter composting on ammonia and nitrous oxide emissions and pathogen reduction

Author
item Ro, Kyoung
item Moore, Philip
item Szogi, Ariel
item Eugene, Branly
item Millner, Patricia

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/26/2015
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Inhouse composting is a management practice to reduce pathogen in poultry litter. In between flocks, growers windrow the litter inside the broiler houses. This results in high temperatures that can reduce some pathogens in the litter. However, this practice is likely to increase emissions of NH3 and greenhouse gases from the litter. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of inhouse composting on ammonia and greenhouse gas emission and pathogen reduction. Two broiler houses (with and without inhouse composting) with similar flock size and management were used to compare the ammonia and nitrous oxide gas emissions. Gas emission measurements were done continuously and simultaneously for both houses with and without composting during the same production periods. Ammonia and N2O concentrations of air samples collected just outside of fans were measured with a photoacoustic multigas analyzer equipped with a multisampler. Ventilation rates of the two houses were monitored with 10 anemometers per house. Gas emission results and Salmonella counts of both composted and noncomposted litter will be presented at the meeting.