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Chicken manure is the
feces Feces ( or faeces), known colloquially and in slang as poo and poop, are the solid or semi-solid remains of food that was not digested in the small intestine, and has been broken down by bacteria in the large intestine. Feces contain a relati ...
of chickens used as an organic fertilizer, especially for soil low in nitrogen. Of all animal manures, it has the highest amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Chicken manure is sometimes pelletized for use as a fertilizer, and this product may have additional phosphorus, potassium or nitrogen added. Optimal storage conditions for chicken manure include keeping it in a covered area and retaining its liquid, because a significant amount of nitrogen exists in the urine. Fresh chicken manure contains 0.5% to 0.9% nitrogen, 0.4% to 0.5% phosphorus, and 1.2% to 1.7% potassium. One chicken produces approximately of manure monthly. Chicken manure can be used to create homemade plant fertilizer.


Studies

In 1986, a master's thesis study in the Philippines compared the effects of using various fertilizers to enhance milkfish production in brackish water ponds. The study compared the use of using chicken manure only, cow manure only, 16-20-0 fertilizer only, a mixture of cow manure and 16-20-0 fertilizer, a mixture of chicken manure and 16-20-0 fertilizer, and a control group that used no fertilizer. The study concluded that the use of cow manure only as a fertilizer fared best, and the use of chicken manure only as a fertilizer fared second best.


Pollution

Mass applications of chicken manure may create an unpleasant odor. In April 2014 in Escondido, California, a golf course that had "dumped" chicken manure on its grounds was cited by the county government after complaints from local residents about the odor. In December 2011, the environmental group Environment Maryland asserted that water runoff from agricultural land fertilized with chicken manure was increasing the pollution levels of Chesapeake Bay. The group asserted that excessive phosphorus from the runoff was contributing to the increase of
dead zone Dead zone may refer to: Arts and entertainment Games * ''Dead Zone'' (video game), a video game produced by ''SunSoft'' * Dead zone (video gaming), term for a region of the screen in video gaming * ''Deadzone'' (Skirmish Game), by Mantic Games ...
s in the bay. In 2015, in efforts to address the matter before leaving office, Maryland Governor
Martin O'Malley Martin Joseph O'Malley (born January 18, 1963) is an American lawyer and former politician who served as the 61st Governor of Maryland from 2007 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he was Mayor of Baltimore from 1999 to 2007. O'Malley ...
put a new regulation into use that "would have limited the amount of poultry manure that Eastern Shore farmers can use on their fields". However, the following Governor
Larry Hogan Lawrence Joseph Hogan Jr. (born May 25, 1956) is an American politician and businessman serving as the 62nd governor of Maryland since 2015. A moderate member of the Republican Party, he was secretary of appointments under Maryland governor Bo ...
quickly absolved the new regulation after being sworn into office. The runoff problem has been attributed to the use of "an outdated scientific tool for calculating the correct amount of manure". A proposed solution from scientists at the University of Maryland is to have farmers use a new (corrected) formula to calculate proper quantities of chicken manure for agricultural uses.


Human deterrent

Chicken manure has been used as a human deterrent. In July 2013, in Abbotsford, British Columbia, city workers applied chicken manure at a tent encampment to deter homeless people from the area. The affected homeless planned on initiating small claims lawsuits for loss of property and property damage. One of the affected homeless people described the tactics of city workers as "a chicken shit way to do things". The mayor of Abbotsford and the Fraser Valley city manager later apologized regarding the incident. Similar instances of using chicken manure in this manner have occurred in British Columbia in Surrey and in Port Coquitlam, the latter of which occurred "shortly after the Abbotsford incident".


See also

* Chicken shit *
Guano Guano (Spanish from qu, wanu) is the accumulated excrement of seabirds or bats. As a manure, guano is a highly effective fertilizer due to the high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, all key nutrients essential for plant growth. G ...
* Liquid manure * Manure spreader * Plant nutrition * * Labeling of fertilizer


References


Further reading

* * * * {{cite book , last=Dabney , first=Seth Mason , title=Chicken manure in New York State , publisher=Cornell University , issue=volume 1 , date=May 1978 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bmZQAAAAYAAJ Organic fertilizers manure Feces Manure