See Table 1 below . About half of the nitrogen and two-thirds of the potassium in manure is found in the liquid portion. Almost all the phosphorus is contained in the solids. Thus the liquid portion markedly affects the nutrient value and is well worth conserving. Nutrients in the liquid portion are water soluble and highly available for crop use.
Nutrient content varies between livestock and poultry.
See Table 2 below . This happens to manure lying on top of the soil, particularly in dry, warm windy weather. Therefore, in wet soils, nitrate may be leached away with excess soil water or become volatile as a result of denitrification. Crops generally have higher requirements for N than for other major elements. Phosphates, unlike nitrates, are virtually immobile in soils because, if not used by plants, they form insoluble compounds in combination with calcium, iron or aluminum.