NUTRIENT COMPOSITION OF POULTRY MANURES IN ENGLAND AND WALES

In this study, 121 poultry manure samples were collected from commerci al holdings in England and Wales. The nutrient contents of the individ ual manure samples varied widely. In general, broiler/turkey litters h ad a higher dry matter content (c.60%) than layer manures (c.35%), alt hough all manure types had similar concentrations of nutrients (N, P, K, Mg, S) on a dry weight basis. Typically N:P:K ratios were 6:2:2 for layer manures and 6:2:3 for broiler/turkey litters. The readily plant available N content (ammonium-N+uric acid-N) of the poultry manures w as 30-50% of the total N. The dry matter content of poultry manures is suggested as a useful indicator of total fresh weight nutrient concen trations. Copyright (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.