I saw this in the farm section of my local Missouri paper, only in the article they use the term 'litter' I guess that's the safer term to use. I've replaced all instances of litter with manure since that is more honest.
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Poultry manure should be processed to control any pathogens before feeding it to beef cattle.
University of Missouri Extension animal scientists Jay Daniel and K.C. Olson provide information on ways to process manure:
Ensile it with chopped, whole-plant corn or another roughage to increase the acidity of the material to kill any pathogens.
Spray with propionic or acetic acid to lower manure pH to 4.7.
Put it into pellets in a process that heats manure to kill potential pathogens.
Deep stack manure 6 to 8 feet high for at least three weeks. The manure should have at least 20 percent moisture by weight. It will heat to 130-160 degrees in the stack. Higher temperatures will make manure less digestible.
Avoid stacking manure more than 5 feet high when it comes in contact with wood.
Other information they provide:
Foreign objects: Manure should be free of any metal, glass, rocks and other foreign objects. Metal can be removed with magnetic plates on the discharge chute of a mixer wagon.
Manure that comes in contact with soil or gravel can have a high level of ash that is a blend of inorganic mineral matter. Manure with more than 28 percent ash should not be fed to cattle.
Pathogens: Manure may contain pathogens such as Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli. To ensure pathogens are destroyed, Manure needs to be deep-stacked for at least 21 days.
Mycotoxins such as alflatoxin are not a problem in poultry manure because the pH is unfavorable for mold growth.
Cattle that get little or no hay or pasture and eat at least 22 pounds of manure per day can have heart failure.
Manure nutritional value varies, but 106 samples tested in Alabama and 86 in Georgia found the total digestible nutrient (TDN) value is near 50 percent and crude protein at 21 percent to 28 percent.
Moisture level does not affect the nutritional value of poultry manure. But, 20 percent is desirable for feeding efficiency.
Poultry manure is often low in vitamin A that can be overcome by feeding a high-quality forage with at least 12 percent crude protein and more than 60 percent TDN.
Poultry manure needs to be removed from the diet of gestating cows 30 days before calving to avoid potential milk fever.
Manure normally has a lot of copper that can accumulate in the liver and can be toxic to cattle. Symptoms include jaundice and extremely dark blood. It an be avoided by feeding manure for short periods to cows for only short periods to allow excess copper to be cleared from the liver before manure feeding resumes. It can be fed to stocker cattle for up to 180 days before copper toxicity is a risk. It should not be fed to sheep.
Rations: General guidelines for poultry manure rations are 10 percent to 20 percent, 30 percent to 35 percent and 50 percent of the dry diet as corn for dry cows, lactating cows and stocker calves, respectively.
Adding corn to manure increases the palatability of poultry manure. Cracking or rolling corn improves its mixing characteristics with manure and reduces waste.
Yes, and I suspect that processed rigth human manure could be human food, but is that really what we want to eat? And, do we really want to eat food that has been fed manure? I don't think so.
As a wise old saying goes, just because something CAN be done doesn't mean it SHOULD be done.
Notice all the problems with using this material for food. All kind of different health problem and potential for toxicity. Do we really want to take that kind of risk? I don't think so.
Further, remember how some 'geniuses' got the idea that they could feed the slaughter waste from cattle processing back to cattle? Which as we all know lead to "mad cow disease". Do I really believe that feeding cattle crap, literally crap, will not lead to some long term problem down the road. I don't think so.
Here is a novel idea, how about feeding cattle 'food'.
Just a thought. Steve/BlueWizard
Posted by King of Men (Member # 6684) on :
What you eat really is processed human (and animal) manure. It's just that the cycle takes so long in nature that you aren't really aware of it.
Posted by kwsni (Member # 1831) on :
They do this all the time. It's nothing new.
Litter is a little different than straight manure, as I understand it. Chicken barns are usually bedded with something absorbent on the floor(usually sawdust or something simalar), and it's this mixed with the manure that is called "litter".
Blue Wizard, it's actually possible to transmit Mad Cow with the chickens as an intermediary step, if the chickens are fed meat and bone meal. Also, what would you describe as food? Cattle are also fed things like woodchips and corn stalks. Are those food? Meat and Bone meal is a perfectly good feed, if managed correctly. Their rumen (that's the first stomach) is capable of processing all sorts of things. Or should we only feed cattle things we would eat ourselves?
I'm always surprised at what the average person doesn't know about where their food comes from.
Ni!
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
quote:Originally posted by King of Men: What you eat really is processed human (and animal) manure. It's just that the cycle takes so long in nature that you aren't really aware of it.
Well, if you want to go further back with it what you really eat is sunlight.