Litter Management is Key to Avoiding Ammonia Problems
Ammonia production in the poultry house requires: 1) manure, 2) heat and 3) moisture. Probably the most important of these factors in litter management is moisture control. Good litter management starts with controlling litter moisture, even before it is put into the house. If litter isn’t stored properly and is wet when you spread it in the house, ammonia problems are likely to be difficult to control.
Ammonia-limiting litter amendments have proved very effective and are now widely recommended and adopted by growers. However, moisture control in the litter is also key to the effectiveness of the litter treatment. Acommon mistake growers make is reducing fan runtime, since (they think) having the treatment means they won’t have any ammonia. MISTAKE. Minimum ventilation fan runtimes are carefully calculated to remove enough moisture from the house, assuming litter treatments are used. If we reduce fan runtime below what is recommended, moisture will increase in the house and the litter, which can cause the chemical action of the litter amendment to be used up in a very short time. We may have good ammonia control for the first few days, and none at all when we need it the most. Not running adequate minimum ventilation can lead to having more ammonia with the amendments than without!
How much ventilation is needed? In the first week of a growout with fresh litter, most growers probably need to be running minimum ventilation at least 45 seconds out of every five minutes. If you have built-up litter, you probably need to ventilate a full minute out of every five to keep moisture and ammonia from going too high. For exact minimum ventilation timings that will be right for your situation, consult your integrator live production specialist.
If you are using built-up litter, it’s important to address litter management issues immediately after a flock has been removed from the farm. De-caking the house between flocks will help purge the house of ammonia prior to chick placement. After removing the cake, keep the sidewall curtains and end doors closed. Maintain litter temperature as long as possible to help release as much ammonia as possible, running the fans just enough to keep the house from sweating. Do not wait until the day before chicks arrive to address the ammonia problem.
Another method that is helpful in controlling ammonia is using stirring or mixing fans in the house. These fans help move the drier, warmer air in the top of the house down to the litter level, to pick up moisture and allow the minimum
ventilation fans to carry it out of the house.
Conclusion? For many growers, litter management and ammonia control may be the difference between profit and loss from growout to growout. You must use an ammonia-limiting litter treatment and you must run fans for adequate minimum ventilation, and these costs are variable, depending on litter and weather conditions. But field experience shows that the expenses involved
in controlling ammonia levels are far less than the losses that are sure to happen if ammonia levels get near or above 50 ppm for any considerable period of time. When you consider the cost of losing as much as a half a pound of meat per bird, or anything in the neighborhood of eight points higher feed conversion, the balance seems clearly on the side of doing everything you can to keep ammonia levels down.
1. If you monitor ammonia in your poultry house, remember that air samples must be taken at bird level, not at human nose level. For baby chicks, this may be no more than one inch above the litter.
2. Remove cake with a housekeeping machine (rototilling is not recommended) between flocks. Cake removal gets water out of the house and takes pressure off the ventilation system.
3. If you are not putting down fresh litter, run heaters and ventilate ammonia out of the house between flocks.
4. Use a good ammonia-limiting litter amendment. Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations exactly. Timing of litter treatment application is critical for good ammonia control.
5. Consider using fresh litter, especially in the brood end of the house, if ammonia problems persist.
6. Maintain adequate minimum ventilation, with high enough static pressure to get good air mixing to keep the house and litter dry. Using a litter amendment does not mean you don’t have to ventilate.
7. Check and manage water systems to avoid leaks and spills that would wet litter.
8. Adjust water levels and drinker heights as birds grow, to avoid spills.
9. Check litter regularly for wetness – if a handful sticks together when you squeeze and then release it, it’s too wet.
10. Consider using ceiling paddle or other mixing or stirring fans to help circulate house air and get moisture and ammonia out of the house. These fans can also save on heating costs when used properly.
Appreciation is expressed to Berry Lott, Extension professor, Mississippi State University, for some of the information used in this article.
