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Manure Production of Adult Turkeys
Manure Production of Adult Turkeys S. J.
Bureau of Animal Industry,
MAESDEN
U. S. Department
of Agriculture, Beltsville,
Maryland
(Received for publication February 16, 1938)
T
WENTY hens and two toms, all of the White Holland variety, were used to determine the approximate quantity of manure produced within a 28-day period extending from 8:30 a.m., October 9, to 8:30 a.m., November 6, 1937. The birds were TABLE 1.
the daytime. At the start of the test, the entire floor including that under the roosts was covered with dry newspapers which had been weighed previously. All of the floor not under the roosts was then covered with floor sections made of 1" X 1" mesh
-Manure production, feed consumption, and weight changes of adult turkeys during a four-week period, October 9-November 6, 1937 Averages per bird Total (pounds)
For the period (pounds)
Per week (pounds)
Weights of birds 2 toms—at start at end 20 hens —at start at end 22 birds—at start at end
51.00 53.00 226.60 244.75 277.60 297.75
25.50 26.50 11.33 12.24 12.71 13.54
— — — — —
Feed consumed Mash Scratch Total
55.50 142.00 197.50
2.52 6.45 8.97
.63 1.61 2.24
14.72 57.95 39.11 153.98 53.83 211.93
.67 2.63 1.78 7.00 2.45 9.63
.17 .66 .45 1.75 .61 2.41
1.07
—
—
.27
—
—
Manure produced During the night
—machine-dried (actual) fresh (calculated) During the day —machine-dried (actual) fresh (calculated) During night and day—machine-dried (actual) fresh (calculated)
Fresh manure produced per pound of feed consumed Machine-dried manure produced per pound of feed consumed
confined to a 14' X 14' room of a cement floored poultry house at Beltsville, Maryland. A roosting compartment completely enclosed with wire occupied one corner of the room. This compartment had 2" hexagonal mesh wire under the roosts and a hinged door in front that could be closed to keep the birds from the roosts during
wire upon which were placed a feeder and a water container. Feed consisted of a standard 20 percent protein-growing mash and a grain mixture made up of equal parts of oats, cracked yellow corn, and barley which were kept before the birds throughout the test. At 4:30 p.m. each afternoon the roosting compartment was opened, and at
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S. J. MARSDEN
8:30 a.m. it was closed, forcing the birds to remain on the floor during the daytime but allowing them to go to roost in a natural manner at dusk. The turkeys were on the roosts for approximately 13 hours. At the end of the 28-day test, on November 6, the wire floors were taken up and cleaned. The accumulated air-dried manure, including the newspapers, was collected, placed in burlap sacks, and allowed to stand in the pen until November 24. The manure under the roosts which was produced during the night period was sacked separately from that produced during the daytime. On the same date (November 6) a sample of about 25 pounds of fresh droppings was collected from another group of turkeys of the same age and fed the same diet. This fresh sample was thoroughly mixed and about five pounds of it placed in an air tight container and stored at a temperature of about 3S°F. until November 24. On November 24, all the accumulated air-dried manure and a 2,000 gram sample of the manure that had been preserved in a fresh condition were placed in an electric dryer to remain there for 40 hours at approximately 200°F. The air-dried manure which was produced at night and the sample of fresh manure were weighed before they were placed in the dryer and again when taken out. The day manure was weighed only when taken from the dryer. The original weights of the newspapers that were placed under the wire floors and under the roosts were subtracted from the ma-
chine-dried weights in order to obtain the net weight of manure accumulated during the day and during the night for the 28-day period. The moisture loss of the 2,000-gram fresh sample of manure was found to be 74.6 percent. Using this figure and the machine-dried net weight of the manure from the test pens, the approximate weight of the fresh manure was calculated for the 28-day period. The air-dried manure produced during the night was weighed when put into the dryer and again when taken out. The difference in weight represents the moisture loss which was found to be 35.52 percent of the observed air-dry weight. The results of the test are shown in the following table: SUMMARY
The results of this test indicate that adult turkeys of medium size when mated in the proportion of one male to 10 females produce about 2.4 pounds of fresh manure (or 0.6 pounds on a machine-dried basis) per bird per week. This amounts to approximately one pound of fresh manure for each pound of feed (grain and mash) consumed. The fresh manure was found to contain approximately 75 percent of water. In this instance, in the comparatively short days of October, 72.7 percent of the manure was deposited during the daytime and 27.3 percent was produced while the turkeys were on the roosts at night.
Bureau of Animal Industry,
MAESDEN
U. S. Department
of Agriculture, Beltsville,
Maryland
(Received for publication February 16, 1938)
T
WENTY hens and two toms, all of the White Holland variety, were used to determine the approximate quantity of manure produced within a 28-day period extending from 8:30 a.m., October 9, to 8:30 a.m., November 6, 1937. The birds were TABLE 1.
the daytime. At the start of the test, the entire floor including that under the roosts was covered with dry newspapers which had been weighed previously. All of the floor not under the roosts was then covered with floor sections made of 1" X 1" mesh
-Manure production, feed consumption, and weight changes of adult turkeys during a four-week period, October 9-November 6, 1937 Averages per bird Total (pounds)
For the period (pounds)
Per week (pounds)
Weights of birds 2 toms—at start at end 20 hens —at start at end 22 birds—at start at end
51.00 53.00 226.60 244.75 277.60 297.75
25.50 26.50 11.33 12.24 12.71 13.54
— — — — —
Feed consumed Mash Scratch Total
55.50 142.00 197.50
2.52 6.45 8.97
.63 1.61 2.24
14.72 57.95 39.11 153.98 53.83 211.93
.67 2.63 1.78 7.00 2.45 9.63
.17 .66 .45 1.75 .61 2.41
1.07
—
—
.27
—
—
Manure produced During the night
—machine-dried (actual) fresh (calculated) During the day —machine-dried (actual) fresh (calculated) During night and day—machine-dried (actual) fresh (calculated)
Fresh manure produced per pound of feed consumed Machine-dried manure produced per pound of feed consumed
confined to a 14' X 14' room of a cement floored poultry house at Beltsville, Maryland. A roosting compartment completely enclosed with wire occupied one corner of the room. This compartment had 2" hexagonal mesh wire under the roosts and a hinged door in front that could be closed to keep the birds from the roosts during
wire upon which were placed a feeder and a water container. Feed consisted of a standard 20 percent protein-growing mash and a grain mixture made up of equal parts of oats, cracked yellow corn, and barley which were kept before the birds throughout the test. At 4:30 p.m. each afternoon the roosting compartment was opened, and at
[423]
424
S. J. MARSDEN
8:30 a.m. it was closed, forcing the birds to remain on the floor during the daytime but allowing them to go to roost in a natural manner at dusk. The turkeys were on the roosts for approximately 13 hours. At the end of the 28-day test, on November 6, the wire floors were taken up and cleaned. The accumulated air-dried manure, including the newspapers, was collected, placed in burlap sacks, and allowed to stand in the pen until November 24. The manure under the roosts which was produced during the night period was sacked separately from that produced during the daytime. On the same date (November 6) a sample of about 25 pounds of fresh droppings was collected from another group of turkeys of the same age and fed the same diet. This fresh sample was thoroughly mixed and about five pounds of it placed in an air tight container and stored at a temperature of about 3S°F. until November 24. On November 24, all the accumulated air-dried manure and a 2,000 gram sample of the manure that had been preserved in a fresh condition were placed in an electric dryer to remain there for 40 hours at approximately 200°F. The air-dried manure which was produced at night and the sample of fresh manure were weighed before they were placed in the dryer and again when taken out. The day manure was weighed only when taken from the dryer. The original weights of the newspapers that were placed under the wire floors and under the roosts were subtracted from the ma-
chine-dried weights in order to obtain the net weight of manure accumulated during the day and during the night for the 28-day period. The moisture loss of the 2,000-gram fresh sample of manure was found to be 74.6 percent. Using this figure and the machine-dried net weight of the manure from the test pens, the approximate weight of the fresh manure was calculated for the 28-day period. The air-dried manure produced during the night was weighed when put into the dryer and again when taken out. The difference in weight represents the moisture loss which was found to be 35.52 percent of the observed air-dry weight. The results of the test are shown in the following table: SUMMARY
The results of this test indicate that adult turkeys of medium size when mated in the proportion of one male to 10 females produce about 2.4 pounds of fresh manure (or 0.6 pounds on a machine-dried basis) per bird per week. This amounts to approximately one pound of fresh manure for each pound of feed (grain and mash) consumed. The fresh manure was found to contain approximately 75 percent of water. In this instance, in the comparatively short days of October, 72.7 percent of the manure was deposited during the daytime and 27.3 percent was produced while the turkeys were on the roosts at night.