MICROBIOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA POULTRY LITTER

Concern has been raised by Georgia beef producers regarding the Safety of feeding large quantities of poultry litter to beef cattle. It is w ell known that poultry raise;fin confinement, especially chicks, is su sceptible to infection by pathogenic microorganisms (i.e., Salmonella typhimurium). The objective of this study was to collect samples of po ultry litter from different sources in Georgia and analyze each sample for the presence of pathogenic bacteria using selective microbiologic al media. While bacteria were isolated from every litter sample, no E. coli O157/H7 or Salmonella was detected in any sample, Mold contamina tion in most of the samples was extremely low. In addition to the micr obiological analysis, the nutrient content of each litter sample was d etermined. All Samples contained similar amounts (2 to 3%) of phosphor us, potassium, and calcium, while manganese concentrations were much l ower, Sodium, aluminum, and iron concentrations were much higher than concentrations of zinc and copper; and ash averaged 30.4%. Crude prote in in all samples was over 6-fold higher than bound protein, and the a verage moisture content was 21.9%. Collectively, these results suggest that poultry litter is not a source of harmful pathogenic bacteria wh en fed to beef cattle and is a good source of protein and some mineral s.