Manure as a Fertilizer Manure is an excellent fertilizer containing nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and other nutrients. It also adds organic matter to the soil which may improve soil structure, aeration, soil moisture-holding capacity, and water infiltration. To determine how much manure is needed for a specific application, the nutrient content and the rate nitrogen becomes available for plant uptake needs to be estimated. Nutrient content of manure varies depending on source, moisture content, storage, and handling methods. Nitrogen content in manure varies with the type of animal and feed ration, amount of litter, bedding or soil included, and amount of urine concentrated with the manure.
Moisture content is also a major consideration.
Generally, dry manure contains 1.5 to 2.2 cubic meters per ton. Dry 1.9 poultry and steer manure contain around 1.9 cubic meters per ton. Manure Handling Handling can affect the fertilizer value of manure, particularly its nitrogen content. Nitrogen is present in manure in a variety of forms, most of which gradually converts to ammonium and nitrate nitrogen. The ammonium form can be lost to the air and the nitrates leached by rainfall.