There is growing concern that land application of manure may pollute both surface and groundwater. Manure in MB houses drops onto a belt beneath each row of cages and is removed daily or perhaps weekly.Īmmonia’s threat to air quality is not the poultry industry’s only environmental challenge. In HR houses, solid manure is stored in the lower level of the building for perhaps a year before removal (Liang et al., 2005).
High-rise (HR) and manure-belt (MB) houses are the two most common housing styles in the egg industry in the U.S.
How that manure is managed in laying hen houses can greatly influence NH3 emission. Ammonia generation is largely influenced by nitrogen (N) content in the manure.
Ammonia emission is environmentally important because it contributes to the acidification of soil and water and increases nitrogen deposition in ecosystems (Liang et al., 2005).Įxcessive NH3 in poultry houses is detrimental to bird performance and welfare. Bird feces contain uric acid that can be rapidly converted to NH3 in the presence of appropriate microbes (Xin et al., 2011). Ammonia (NH3) is the major pollutant gas associated with poultry production operations. Control of ammonia volatilization in poultry houses is a major concern for the poultry industry (Timmons and Harter-Dennis, 2011).
