Dairymen commonly use it as a cheap feed-stuff in heifer and dry cow rations.
Recent food safety scares in the media have raised questions as to whether feeding animal excreta to other animals could be a contributor to foodborne disease in either humans or animals. Although feeding heat processed poultry litter to nonlactating dairy cattle is legal under California Department of Food and Agriculture regulations, some still question the safety of this practice. Local work conducted in California over the 1996 winter months by Jeffrey, Kirk, Atwill, and Cullorsupports the same conclusion. T he group sampled and analyzed processed poultry litter being fed to dairy cattle on 13 dairy facilities in California's Central Valley. Litter samples and temperature readings were collected from the surface and interior of the litter piles upon arrival on the dairies and 2-4 weeks later.