Overview
The value of poultry litter as a fertilizer source continues to increase as inorganic nitrogen, for use as a fertilizer in crop production, becomes more and more expensive. Based on current inorganic nitrogen costs, broiler litter is currently valued at $105 per ton based on its nitrogen content alone. When its value as a soil amendment with trace minerals and organic matter is considered, the value of poultry litter
rises farther above the nitrogen content alone.
Using PLT® litter acidifier at placement to bind ammonia and improve flock performance also greatly increases the fertilizer value of poultry litter. For every one hundred pounds of PLT® applied to a house, 55 pounds of ammonium sulfate is generated (see Figure 1). This formation of ammonium sulfate is non reversible. Therefore, the nitrogen in the litter is not released as the pH increases (Ullman, et al., 2004). Over time, this can double the ammonium nitrogen content of your poultry litter. The use of PLT® for ammonia binding will also improve the N: P ratio of poultry litter due to the retention of ammonia as ammonium sulfate.