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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Florence, South Carolina » Coastal Plain Soil, Water and Plant Conservation Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #323219
Title: Greenhouse gas and ammonia emission from a litter-windrowing in bird houses

Author
item Ro, Kyoung
item Moore, Philip
item Szogi, Ariel
item Eugene, Branly
item Millner, Patricia

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/26/2015
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: One of emerging poultry manure management practices is in house windrowing to disinfect the litter. With this practice, growers windrow the litter in broiler houses between flocks, usually for 2 weeks. This results in high litter temperatures that can reduce pathogens in the litter. However, this practice is likely to increase emissions of NH3 and greenhouse gases from the litter. The objective of this study is to quantitatively compare ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions from bird houses with and without in-house windrowing. Two separate commercial broiler houses (with and without in house windrowing) with similar flock size of (25-30,000 birds) and operation were used to compare the NH3 and GHG emissions repeated in time. Gas emission measurements were be done continuously and simultaneously for both control house (without windrowing) and the house with windrowing during the same production periods. Photoacoustic gas analyzers (PGAs) were used for gas measurements. The total house emission rates were calculated by multiplying the mean NH3 concentrations and the ventilation rates. In addition, emission fluxes of CO2, N2O and CH4 directly from the litter were measured simultaneously for both houses using static chambers with PGAs. The total house emissions of N2O, CO2, and NH3 during 7 days were 3.18 kg N2O-N, 2.06 Mg CO2-C, and 74.18 kg NH3-N, respectively, for the control house; and 5.20 kg N2O-N, 2.30 Mg CO2-C, and 102.24 kg NH3-N, respectively, for the windrowing house. There were more than an order of magnitude increase in N2O emission fluxes directly from the litter after 2 days of windrowing. More detailed assessment of N contents, temperatures, and pathogens of the litters from the two bird houses will be presented at the meeting.