Broiler chickens are also housed in large buildings called broiler houses. Like layer houses, broiler houses can hold many thousands of chickens. When a broiler chicken reaches the proper size for market, it is sent to a processing facility for slaughtering and processing into the chicken we buy at the grocery store. Chicken Farm Sites Chicken farms have large numbers of chickens. With this large number of birds in one area, a large amount of chicken manure is produced.
Chicken manure is collected and stored for use as fertilizer on crop land.
Since the manure is often stored for long periods of time, farmers only empty the manure storage a few times a year. When a farmer is cleaning the storage area and spreading the manure, odors can be very strong. Many factors determine the range and strength of odors. These include humidity, temperature, distance from the farm, topography, and wind direction. Many of these a farmer has no control over.