Broiler muck

[rob1]

How much fresh broiler muck is it safe to apply before dd'ing spring barley and wheat .
TIA

 

[Sid]

We spread ours last week and put 2t / acre of composted onto grass. Guy spreading said he usually spreads 1-3 tonnes acre on various crops.I'd go for 2 if I was you.

 

[JNG]

Good question, I have some dried layer manure (74%DM @ 5.6% N), which I used to topdress W Wheat last week at 5t/ha. I am new to spring barley this year, and wonder is the variability of availability difficult to manage on a crop that a large % of the N is applied like this, eg if availability is good you have lodging risk and if bad are you loosing yield.

Rob if your direct drilling the barley, you are leaving the broiler muck on the surface and not incorporating, what % of the N do you think is available to the crop?

 

[Salopian_Will]

As much as you like (within reason) - anymore than 2t though and you could be looking at something rather flat. We planted some spring barley with ploughed down broiler muck under it which had been badly spread - you could make out where the muck had been spread all the way to harvest, it was like waves in the sea.

 

[rob1]

Good question, I have some dried layer manure (74%DM @ 5.6% N), which I used to topdress W Wheat last week at 5t/ha. I am new to spring barley this year, and wonder is the variability of availability difficult to manage on a crop that a large % of the N is applied like this, eg if availability is good you have lodging risk and if bad are you loosing yield.

Rob if your direct drilling the barley, you are leaving the broiler muck on the surface and not incorporating, what % of the N do you think is available to the crop?

Not sure what % but having spread it on grass for years and have seen the effect it has if not spread well, old grass comes back well but not sure SB would come through a high dose

 

[JNG]

Yea I'm a bit worried about overdoing SBarley, think ill learn how to grow it this year and then learn how to cut corners with it next year. It should get the proteins up in your spring wheat tho, use plenty growth regs.

 

[JNG]

It can be powerful stuff, 2 seasons ago we grew 1.8t/ac (off combine 12% moisture) of spring rape having put 5t/ac of broiler muck on stumbles and disced in, stretching the rules a little but a profitable crop. It's a great way of cutting costs, but I suppose you have to be careful it does not go horribly wrong.

 

[Jock]

What sort of price are people paying for broiler muck?
Never tried it before but sounds like good stuff.

 

[JNG]

Over here it all depends on distance from the chicken house, we have been splitting the haulage 50-50 with the chicken farm. Its important the broiler farms are responsible for part payment, we have said if we see chicken carcases in the broiler muck we will not pay our share and will indeed not let them tip therefore its in their interest to keep it clean. There is always a risk of Botulism and I wont be responsible for killing my or my neighbours livestock. Now with the layer manure there is more cost as it should be disease (carcase) free therefore they are asking more, we have to pay full transport and they are now trying to get a few pounds as well.

 

[Sid]

What sort of price are people paying for broiler muck?
Never tried it before but sounds like good stuff.

I'm paying £25/t delivered and spread with a rolland spreader with the composter on the back. All I have to do is pick up the phone to get some , and again to get it spread! Simples

 

[rob1]

Not paying for it (shush dont tell anyone) have some guys renting a shed who do it as part of their business and the lorries who haul it only want full loads so get 20 tons every 6 weeks or so for just hauling it, usually mix it with stable muck I get from various yards but due to factory cock up all the five sheds are getting done one by one so can have it all

 

[Steevo]

If applied to crops this time of year (top dressing), will the N be lost soon after spreading or will the cold weather stop it "evaporating"?

 

[JNG]

If applied to crops this time of year (top dressing), will the N be lost soon after spreading or will the cold weather stop it "evaporating"?

Done it a few time over the past few years on W Wheat, usually 2-3t/ac, all I can say is I test a sample of the manure assume 40% N availability and deduct bagged N accordingly. We have never been below our average wheat yield on the applied fields and are usually above it. Deduct P and K dressings also so good savings on bagged fert. We have done 50% of our wheat this year, luckly fields became dry enough(we spread at 12m so once between tramlines) last week so got it done and had some nice gently rain that night so I hope we will get good availability?

 

[Colin]

Put on a lot after strawed carrots before either s. barley or oats. Spread it on the straw after discing but before ploughing. Hoping it stops n being tied up seems to work ok.