The Rural Voice, 1998-12, Page 53t
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build a large new livestock operation,
he said. "Nutrient management
planning will not be successful if
farmers just do it to get a building
permit. If they do that, we've failed."
Before it goes on the fields manure
can perform a valuable service for
chicken farmers in fueling the
composting of dcad birds, said Bill
Woods, a Wellington County
producer who has been composting
since 1990. The compost pile is built
with a double layer of manure on the
bottom with alternating layers of
manure and dead birds above.
"It's environmentally safe. It's
economical. You're not using fuel
like an incinerator," he told the
producers.
He has built a composter on his
farm and recommends a cement bast
with a roof over it to control the
amount of moisture and reduce
possible run off. The side walls are
slatted to allow air in to help the
composting process. There's also a
storage area for the manure needed to
feed the composter. He estimates a
fixed cost of $3,000 to $3,500 to
build the composter.
There are few problems if the
composter is well managed, Woods
said. There is some odour, but it's
not an offensive odour. It's important
to keep a six-inch layer of manure
over the dead birds to keep animals
and insects out. A six-inch manure
layer around the outside of the pile
also helps the pile keep composting
in cold weather.
The manure stays in the composter
about 10 weeks after which only a
few bones and feathers are left.
Woods tries to incorporate the
manure as quickly as possible.
Making sure the nitrogen in the
manure stays in the manure instead
of forming ammonia in the air inside
the barn was the subject of Dr. Harry
Huffman's presentation.
Huffman, a livestock ventilation
specialist with OMAFRA
emphasized the importance of
starting ventilation soon after young
birds go in the barn. Birds are
breathing and expiring moisture and
carbon dioxide from the moment
they go in the barn, he said. On day
one, 10,000 chicks will produce 240
litres of water. A heater vented into
News
the barn will produce another 250
litres of water.
The air can only hold so much
moisture and when it becomes
saturated the straw or shavings,
typically at 20 per cent moisture
when they go into the barn, start
absorbing the moisture.
"Once the moisture is in the litter
no one is ever going to take it out,"
Huffman said. "You don't sec the
results until three or four weeks later.
By then you have manure and
moisture mixed and that produces
ammonia."
Because of worries about loss of
heat, most producers don't start
ventilating until after the first week,
Huffman said. By then the birds have
produced enough moisture in thc
barn it would be like having 4 mm of
rain fall on the litter. The heater
might produce the equivalent of
another 3 mm.
The resulting poor air quality can
produce slower growth and poorer
feed conversion. The ammonia can
aggravate the respiratory system and
increase the danger of disease
transmission. It can also cause breast
blisters and possibly foot problems.
There may bc more condemnations at
the packing plant because of the
problems caused by poor air quality.
The solution is to have small fans
in thc barn that can run enough to
expel the moisture from the barn
without removing the heat. Most
barns have fans that arc too large, he
said. The variable speed adjusters
slow the fan down so much that you
can see the blades turning. But to
work the fans need to be turning at
least 500 rpm. To expel 450 cubic
feet per minute a 12 -inch fan has to
be working at less than 50 per cent
capacity but an 18 inch fan is
working even less and a 24 inch fan
can't operate that slowly and still
work.
To complicate the matter, there
needs to bc a fan every 100 feet of
barn length in ordcr for the air to
move properly to the outlets. Interior
fans Will help increase circulation
within the barn, he said.
The wild card in all the calculations
is how airtight the barn is and what
kind of wind patterns there arc
around the harn.0
Holiday Greetings
May you enjoy the richness of our heritage with friends and
family this special season and throughout the coming year.
OAGERMANIA FARMER'S
MUTUAL FIRE INSURANCE
Ayton Ont. NOG lco 519-665-7715
DECEMBER 1998 49
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