If applied to fields at the correct rate it can reduce a producer s fertilizer bill, supply valuable micro-nutrients like zinc and copper and improve soil quality through the addition of organic matter. As with other fertilizers, apply litter at rates that don t oversupply phosphate, potash or nitrogen. Poultry litter contains nitrogen and phosphate. But most plants need more nitrogen than phosphate. So if you meet a crop s nitrogen requirements with poultry litter, you ll oversupply phosphate and, in many cases, potash.
Excess phosphate poses an environmental threat.
Runoff from fields where large quantities of litter have been applied can contain a lot of phosphorus, which can seriously impact water quality. On the other hand, plants will readily take up more potash than they need. This will result in higher potassium concentrations in the plant tissues, which can result in serious animal nutrition imbalances. The media have reported recently about the possible link between the high concentrations of poultry operations in the Delmarva Peninsula in the Mid-Atlantic States and phosphorus runoff, water pollution, fish kills and outbreaks of Pfiesteria piscicida, a toxic microorganism. One solution is to apply poultry litter on fields away from rivers, streams and lakes.