Definition:

77983+ 1/8/<+>398 38 :9?6><C 29?=/=

</=?6>= 0<97 >2/ ,</+5.9A8 9083><91/8

-98>+38381 -97:9?8.= 38 >2/ :9?6><C 63>>/<

!3>>/< 3= ./038/. += >2/ ,/..381 7+>/<3+6 >2+>

-9@/<= >2/ 0+-363>C 0699< =?-2 += :38/ A99.

-23:= 9< <3-/ 2?66= A3>2 ./:9=3>= 90 0/-/=

0/+>2/<= =:366/. 0//. +8. A+>/<

Purpose:

99. :9?6><C 63>>/< 7+8+1/7/8> :<+->3-/=

-+8 </.?-/ +77983+ -98-/8><+>398= 38

:9?6><C 29?=/= (23= 0+->=2//> </6+>/=

038.381= 0<97 + </-/8> :?,63-+>398 "36/= />

+6 	

 >2+> </:9<>/. >2/ +79?8> 90

+77983+ 1/8/<+>/. 0<97 ,<936/< 63>>/< ?8./<

=:/-303- -98.3>398= (2/ 79=> </6/@+8>

038.381= +</ 
 38-</+=381 63>>/< 793=>?</

-98>/8> 38-</+=/= +77983+ /73==398= 

2312 >/7:/<+>?</= /8-9?<+1/ 1</+>/<

+77983+ /73==398= +8.  >2/</ 3= + -<3>3-+6

793=>?</ 6/@/6 +> A23-2 +77983+ 1/8/<+>398

3= 7+B373D/.

$@/< 2+60 90 >2/ 83><91/8 /B-</>/. ,C

-23-5/8= 3= 69=> >9 >2/ +>79=:2/</ +=

+77983+ ,/09</ >2/ 63>>/< 3= </79@/. 0<97

:9?6><C 29?=/= !9A/<381 +77983+ 6/@/6= 38

:9?6><C 29?=/= </=?6>= 38 37:<9@/.

:<9.?->398 /003-3/8-C ,C C3/6.381 2/+@3/<

,3<.= A3>2 ,/>>/< 0//. -98@/<=398 +8.

./-</+=/. 79<>+63>C 8 +..3>398 </.?-381

+77983+ 69==/= /=>+,63=2/= ,/>>/< 1<9A381

-98.3>398= 09< >2/ ,3<.= +8. -+</>+5/<=

7+38>+38= 79</ 83><91/8 38 >2/ 63>>/< +8.

6/==/8= :9==3,6/ 8/1+>3@/ 37:+-> 90 +77983+

98 >2/ /8@3<987/8> 9?>=3./ 29?=/=

How Does This Practice Work:

(2/ >/7:/<+>?</ 90 >2/ :9?6><C 29?=/ 3=

./>/<738/. ,C >2/ ,3<.=G 1<9A>2 :2+=/

(2/</09</ >2/ 7+49< 09-?= 09< 29?=/ +8.

63>>/< 7+8+1/7/8> 63/= A3>2 63>>/< 793=>?</

-98><96 <9A/<= =29?6. 7+8+1/ 29?=/= >9

+@93. ?88/-/==+<C A+>/< 38:?>= >9 >2/ 63>>/<

7+38>+38 6/+50<// A+>/<381 =C=>/7=

:<9:/<6C 9:/<+>/ /@+:9<+>3@/ -996381 :+.=

+8. :</@/8> -98./8=+>398 98 38>/<39<

=?<0+-/= A+66= -/36381= +8. /;?3:7/8>

Where This Practice Applies and

Potential Limitations:

(23= :<+->3-/ +::63/= >9 +66 :9?6><C

9:/<+>398= >2+> ?=/ .<C 63>>/< (2/</ 3= 89

589A8 6373>+>398 90 >23= :<+->3-/

Effectiveness

'6312> 38-</+=/= 38 63>>/< 793=>?</ -+8

><+8=6+>/ 38>9 =?,=>+8>3+6 38-</+=/= 38

+77983+ 1/8/<+>398 31?</ 
 (2/

+77983+ </6/+=/. +> E A3>2 63>>/<

793=>?</ 3= 

 >37/= 79</ >2+8 +> >2/ =+7/

>/7:/<+>?</ A3>2 	63>>/< 793=>?</

?<>2/< <3=/ 38 63>>/< 793=>?</ >9 	</6/+=/=


 >37/= >2/ +77983+ > E 7+B37?7

+77983+ @96+>363D+>398 9--?<= +>

+::<9B37+>/6C 
63>>/< 793=>?</ =

>/7:/<+>?</= 38-</+=/ >2/ +79?8> 90

+77983+ :<9.?-/. 3= /@/8 1</+>/< > E

+8. 	63>>/< 793=>?</ -98>/8>

+::<9B37+>/6C  >37/= 79</ +77983+ 3=

:<9.?-/. >2+8 A3>2 63>>/< +> >2/ =+7/

793=>?</ -98>/8> +> E <97 >2+> :938>

/+-2 +..3>398+6 <3=/ 38 793=>?</ :<9.?-/=

 +8. 
 >37/= 79</ +77983+ A2/8 63>>/<

793=>?</ 3= +> +8. 	 > E >2/

7+B37?7 1/8/<+>398 9--?<= 8/+< 
63>>/<

793=>?</

Poultry Litter Moisture

Management to Reduce Ammonia

Authors e­mail:

+8+"36/=+<=?=.+19@

Developed by:

Livestock GRACEnet

leading the development

of mitigation practices to

reduce emissions from

livestock production

For more information

visit us at

www.ars.usda.gov/

livestockGRACEnet

USDA is an equal

opportunity provider and

employer

Figure 1: 77983+ 1/8/<+>398 0<97 ,<936/<

63>>/< +> >/7:/<+>?</= 90 E +8. E A3>2

63>>/< 793=>?</ -98>/8> 38-</+=381 0<97 	

>9 
 8-</+=/= 38 +77983+ +</ =29A8

</6+>3@/ >9 >2/ ,+=/638/ +8. ./:3->/. 98 >2/

-96?78= += 8?7/<3-+6 7?6>3:63/<= /1  B 

 >37/= 79</ +77983+ >2+8 >2/ ,+=/638/
$8-/ >2/ 63>>/< =?<0+-/ 3= -97:+->/. -+5/. 3>

-</+>/= + :2C=3-+6 ,+<<3/< A23-2 :</@/8>= >2/ </6/+=/ 90

+77983+ (23= 3= ><?/ 09< -97:+->/. 63>>/< ,/09</ 3> 3=

</79@/. 0<97 >2/ 29?=/ +8. += 6981 += 3> 2+= 89> ,//8

>366/. 9< -29::/. 38>9 >2/ 63>>/< ,+=/

Cost of Establishing and Putting

Practice in Place:

&/.?-381 63>>/< 793=>?</ -+8 ,/ +--97:63=2/. A3>2

73837+6 +..3>398+6 -9=> >9 >2/ 1<9A/< 7:<9@/.

:<903>= 0<97 37:<9@/. :<9.?->398 -+8 ,/ =3D/+,6/

>>/8>398 >9 <9?>38/ 7+38>/8+8-/ +8. .+36C 9:/<+>398

+</ +66 >2+> +</ </;?3</.

(2/ 7+B37?7 </-977/8./. +77983+

-98-/8><+>398 38 :9?6><C 29?=/= 3=  ::7 &/=/+<-2

;?+8>30C381 >2/ ./><37/8> 90 +77983+ /B:9=?</

=29A/. +::<9B37+>/6C + 	 6, </.?->398 38 ,<936/<

,9.C A/312> +>  A//5= 90 +1/ A2/8 +77983+

/B:9=?</ 38-</+=/. 0<97  >9 	 ::7 "36/= /> +6

		
 (2/ +?>29<= /=>37+>/. /-98973- </>?<8= 0<97

:9?6><C :<9.?->398 ::6C381 	
 	 :<9.?->398

=>+>3=>3-= #+>398+6 1<3-?6>?<+6 '>+>3=>3-= '/<@3-/

	

 >9 >29=/ /=>37+>/= 38.3-+>/= >2+> +8 38-</+=/ 90

4?=> 	
 6, 38 >2/ +@/<+1/ ,<936/< A/312> 38 
 	90 )'

38>/1<+>9<= A9?6. 1/8/<+>/ +..3>398+6 1<9A/< :<903>=

>9>+6381 

 7366398

Operation and Maintenance:

!3>>/< 793=>?</ -+8 ,/ ./>/<738/. =37:6C ,C

A/312381 + =7+66 =+7:6/ .<C381 >2+> =+7:6/ +8.

</A/312381 ?=381 >23= -+6-?6+>398

63>>/< 793=>?</  
 		 B 383>3+6.<C  383>3+6

8/B:/8=3@/ 7/>29.= >9 7/+=?</ +77983+

-98-/8><+>398 38-6?./ +77983+ >/=> :+:/< 9< 1+=

./>/->9< >?,/= <9A/<= -9?6. :/<09<7 >2/=/ >A9

=37:6/ 7/+=?</7/8>= >9 589A 30 >2/C 8//. >9 37:<9@/

63>>/< 7+8+1/7/8> >9 </.?-/ +77983+ -98-/8><+>398=

/C98. 199. 29?=/ +8. 63>>/< 7+8+1/7/8> 38

:</@/8>381 ?88/-/==+<C A+>/< 38:?>= >9 63>>/< 1<9A/<=

-+8 ?=/ -2/73-+6 63>>/< ></+>7/8>= >9 </.?-/ +77983+

1/8/<+>398 38 29?=/= ..3>398+6 -2/73-+6 +8.

7/-2+83-+6 73>31+>398 >/-283;?/= A366 635/6C ,/

./@/69:/. 38 >2/ 8/+< 0?>?</ ?<</8>6C :9?6><C

38>/1<+>9< 8?><3>3983=>= +</ A9<5381 98 0//.381

=><+>/13/= >9 </.?-/ 83><91/8 /B-</>398

/-+?=/ 7+8C 63>>/< 793=>?</ 7+8+1/7/8> 0+->9<=

+</ 38>/<</6+>/. A3>238 29?=/= +8. 23126C @+<3+,6/

+7981 0+<7= 89 9:>37+6 63>>/< 793=>?</ -98>/8> 2+=

,//8 ./038/. 9A/@/< :<9.?-/<= 7+C =// +8 38-</+=/

38 .3=/+=/ =?=>+38+,363>C A2/8 63>>/< 793=>?</ 3= 9<

2312/<

#3::6/ A+>/</<= >2/ =>+8.+<. 38 ,<936/< :<9.?->398

>2/C 900/< ,/>>/< =+83>+>398 +8. </.?-/. =:366+1/ 9@/<

>2/3< 96./< 9:/8 -9?8>/<:+<>= 8=:/->381 A+>/< 638/=

09< .<3:= +8. </:6+-381 .+7+1/. 83::6/= A366 7+38>+38

+ 6/+50<// A+>/<381 =C=>/7 ?<>2/< 38=>+66+>398 90

:</==?</ </1?6+>9<= 036>/<= >9 :</@/8> @+6@/ -691= +8.

6/@/6381 A+>/</< 638/= 7+C ,/ </;?3</. >9 :</@/8> 6/+5=

%9?6><C %<9 	
 	 @+:9<+>3@/ -996381 :+.= =29?6.

89> ,/ 9:/<+>/. +> 8312> .?<381 29> A/+>2/< 9< 9>2/<

>37/= A2/8 38-97381 +3< </6+>3@/ 2?73.3>C 3= +> 
 		

>23= -+8 -+?=/ A/> 63>>/< 8/+< >2/ >?88/6 386/> ./;?+>/

@/8>36+>398 +8. <990 38=?6+>398 7+C ,/ </;?3</. >9

:</@/8> -98./8=+>/ 0<97 09<7381 A3>238 29?=/=

(2/ </=/+<-2 =?::9<>381 >23= 0+->=2//> ./798=><+>/.

69A/< 63>>/< 793=>?</ 3= /==/8>3+6 >9 63>>/< +77983+

-98><96 (2/ .+>+ :<9@3./ 38-/8>3@/ 09< </=/+<-2/<= +8.

>2/ :9?6><C 38.?=><C >9 ./@/69: =><+>/13/= >9 </.?-/

+77983+ /73==398 0<97 63>>/< $::9<>?83>3/= +<3=/ 09<

38.?=><C +8. </=/+<-2/<= >9 +8+6CD/ >2/ 79./<8 ,<936/<

29?=/ =><?->?</ +8. 9:/<+>398 =9 >2+> 7+38>+38381 3./+6

63>>/< 793=>?</ 3= 79</ 0+<7/< 0<3/8.6C

References:

"36/=  " ' ! <+8>98 +8.   !9>> 		


>79=:2/<3- +77983+ 3= ./><37/8>+6 >9 >2/

:/<09<7+8-/ 9079./<8 -977/<-3+6 ,<936/<= %9?6><C

'-3/8-/ 
 	
 


"36/=  "   &9A/ +8. (  +>2-+<> 	



312 63>>/< 793=>?</ -98>/8> =?::</==/= 63>>/< +77983+

@96+>363D+>398 %9?6><C '-3/8-/ 	
 
 
	

#+>398+6 1<3-?6>?<+6 '>+>3=>3-= '/<@3-/ 	

 %9?6><C

F %<9.?->398 +8. *+6?/ 	
 	 '?77+<C

2>>:?=.+7+8863,-9<8/66/.??=.+-?<</8>%9?6%<9.

*+%9?6%<9.*+	
	

:.0 +--/==/. ?8/ 	



%9?6><C %<9 	
 	 +?=/= +8. :</@/8>398 90 A/>

63>>/< 2>>:AAA:9?6><C:<9-97:9?6><C

+<>3-6/=:9?6><C2/+6>2-+?=/=+8.:</@/8>39890A/>

63>>/< +--/==/. ?8/ 	



For Further Information:

98>+-> +8+ "36/= +> 	

 9<

.+8+736/=+<=?=.+19@ 6=9 =// +..3>398+6 0+->

=2//>= 98 63>>/< +77983+ 7+8+1/7/8> =?-2 += (</+>381

%9?6><C !3>>/< A3>2 6?738?7 '?60+>/