Poultrymen Miss Big Bet when passing up droppings

Each year the potential value of thousands of tons of poultry manure and by-product eggs from the hatchery is lost to the industry because of failure to utilize effectively or render them into merchantable form.  Why such losses?  Is it because the industry has yet to reach the age of thrift, or is it because of failure to realize the extent of loss involved in these products?

According to D.C. Kennard, in charge of poultry investigations at the Ohio Experiment Station, each year 20 to 25 pounds of poultry manure can be obtained from each layer from the dropping boards.  When the birds are confined, 50 to 60 pounds may be secured.

Contents

A ton of fresh poultry manure contains above 25 pounds of nitrogen, 20 pounds of phosphoric acid, and 10 pounds of potash, making its fertilizer value from $5 to $6.  When air dry it contains about 40 pounds of nitrogen, 40 pounds of phosphoric acid and 20 pounds of potash, and has a fertilizer value of $10 or $12.  Poultry manure has the highest fertilizing value of any of the farm manures.  When dried sheep manure retails at $3 a hundred pounds, what price would poultry manure command if similarly rendered into merchantable form?  Once the fertilizing value of poultry manure is generally realized, poultrymen should find no difficulty in having peat, straw or agricultural slag furnished gratis by fruit and truck growers for the privilege of securing these products after they pass through the laying and brooder houses.  Likewise, many poultry keepers will no doubt be able to realize cash returns for this product.

Incubator Waste

Great quantities of by-product eggs from the incubators are now wasted.  If meat scraps, fish meal and the oil meals command $50 to $80 a ton for their feed value, and dried skim milk or buttermilk $100 or $150 a ton, what would dried incubator eggs command if properly rendered into merchantable form so as to conserve their valuable protein, mineral and vitamin properties?  The answer to this and similar questions pertaining to effective utilization of poultry by-products will come through research efforts and results.  Can the poultry industry longer afford to be without answers to these important questions?