Organic Slaughter and Processing - Humane and Healthy Poultry Production - page 67

Aside from the benefit of quality control when processing on-farm, there is also the benefit of
the by-products. Most organic growers would never view poultry processing by-products as
waste. They are a rich source of nutrients that should not leave the farm or be wasted with im-
proper disposal. Properly collected and composted poultry offal, blood, feathers, feet, and
heads are an excellent nutrient source rich in nitrogen that should not be lost. (For a full discus-
sion of composting, see Compost, Vermicompost, and Compost Tea: Feeding the Soil on the
Organic Farm by Grace Gershuny, a companion NOFA Handbook).
Methods differ, but the compost mix in this case typically includes three basic components:
poultry, a carbon source, and manure. Purdue University has an excellent publication called
Composting Poultry Carcasses that details a design for large poultry operations needing to
compost hundreds of birds at any one time. 1 This system can easily be adapted to a small
poultry farm and resembles the techniques used by many Northeast organic producers who pro-
cess on-farm. It is a fast-composting system, based on a series of composting bins where the in-
gredients are layered, mixed, turned, and composted. Here are some guidelines:
• Build roofed bins (at least two—see below) on a concrete slab.
• Bin size should be large enough to accommodate a day's production (cull birds, of-
fal, etc.).
• For every pound of poultry one cubic foot of space is needed in the bin.
• Site should be well-drained, graded, and elevated so no water will enter the unit.
• The compost mixture is made by adding the correct quantity of birds, manure, and
straw to the primary or first box. Here is the basic formula for poultry compost:
Material Parts by weight
Poultry 1
Manure/litter 1½
Straw (wheat) 1/10
Water if needed 0-½
• The formula should provide a carbon-to-nitrogen ratio of 15-23:1 and a moisture
content of 55-56 percent—critical for rapid and complete composting.
• Unless litter or manure is extremely dry, no added water should be needed.
• Straw portion can be hay, corn stover, dried grass, bean pods, shavings, sawdust,
wood chips, any similar material normally used as litter, or finished compost (up to
50 percent substitution can be made).