ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF ON-FARM POULTRY WASTE-DISPOSAL - A REVIEW

This paper reviews information regarding the disposal of on-farm poultry wastes (manure, litter and dead birds) and the effects of poultry waste disposal on environmental quality. Waste composition and production rates are presented. Land disposal of the wastes and subsequent agronomic implications are extensively discussed, but alternative methods of disposal such as composting, biogas generation and others are presented as well. Results of experimental investigations into transformations of poultry waste constituents, particularly nitrogen, are summarized. Both surface and ground water quality are reviewed in relationship to customary methods of poultry waste disposal. The body of available literature is used as a basis for recommended future research, which includes more precise characterization of wastes, improved understanding of the dynamics of poultry waste constituents, and increased efforts to quantify and model water quality impacts of waste disposal.