Send off your soil tests and get back the analyses. Get the turkey litter tested, and see what needs it could fill, and what rate per acre, Then get your fertilizer mixed with what is needed that the turkey Litter can't cover.Going to try turkey litter instead of chemical. Didn't fertilize last hay season and could really tell. About 2 tons per acre and what month for application?
Spot on @Warren Allison! I'll add this, and it's about timing which you didn't mention. The litter is high in Nitrogen. Bear in mind, adding Nitrogen to the soil to coincide with the already increased growth rate during the spring flush will increase the likelihood of grass tetany. Doesn't mean it will occur. But, this induced miner imbalance/deficiency that results in cattle, when it does occur, happens quickly and can kill within a couple of hours. It's not a gradual effect over time, like most deficiencies.Send off your soil tests and get back the analyses. Get the turkey litter tested, and see what needs it could fill, and what rate per acre, Then get your fertilizer mixed with what is needed that the turkey Litter can't cover.
It is for the hay field. Cattle won't be grazing till late fall 2024. Should be cutting hay in early June.I think this is for hayfields, not for grazing... does grass tetany occur from harvested hay???
Turkey and broiler litter should be very similar. There will be more variation between loads of broiler litter from different sources than there is variation between broiler and turkey litter.The litter is already piled up outside uncovered? I have experience with broiler litter, but not turkey litter. My concern would be the loss of nutrients being piled up and getting wet and turning to mush. I would be inclined to spread it now, but you will lose a lot of the nitrogen by spring. I assume the grass is fescue? Just prior to greenup is a good time to spread litter.
Does the litter have a lot of shavings that are not broken down? I can't zoom and see much detail. The color makes me think it might have a lot of shavings. Visible shavings in the litter decreases the fertilizer value.
Also consider that shavings in the litter mean that a load has less manure since the shavings take up space. Litter is generally sold by the "load", not by the ton. Load the truck (volume of bed) and deliver to dump or spread. The space in the truck that the shavings take up mean that you are getting less chicken shyt that would have fit in the truck if those somewhat fresh shavings were not there taking up space.Turkey and broiler litter should be very similar. There will be more variation between loads of broiler litter from different sources than there is variation between broiler and turkey litter.
In a sense shavings decreases the fertilizer value, at least what is available immediately to the vegetation. The shavings that are present bind the nitrogen within the litter making it unavailable to the plants until the shavings break down. That amount of time varies based on climatic conditions but the most control over this process that the producer has is consideration of the particle size of the savings. For example, sawdust will break down faster and have more immediate nutrient availability than wood chips, everything else being equal.
Surely that's not the hauled price is it?It does have a lot of shavings. First time buying litter so maybe bought the wrong stuff. $25 a dump truck load. Thought I would try it and see what happens. If it doesn't work out I'm not out that much money.
I've been pointing out more cautions with the poultry litter than benefits, but that is the direction the thread was going. Load for load, poultry litter is some of the best 'waste product' (and I don't mean that in a bad way) fertilizer that you can access. At $25 a dump truck load, I think you made out like a bandit.It does have a lot of shavings. First time buying litter so maybe bought the wrong stuff. $25 a dump truck load. Thought I would try it and see what happens. If it doesn't work out I'm not out that much money.
Thank you @farmerjan. I didn't have real numbers to put with my assessment. This shows how great a 'steal' the litter was WAY better than what I could!Poultry litter here is sold by the ton. There are scores of poultry houses in the general area here. If you paid $25 a dump truck load I agree you made out like a bandit. We are paying $25-40 a ton, delivered... most are in walking floor trailers that have 30 ton or so..... Average load is around $900-1,000 for round figures.
Since the price is more than right, you will mostly have a totally positive response. It will add organic matter and do a decent job of feeding the soil. You will get some weeds out of it... the only downside of poultry litter. Even composted litter will spread weeds into the fields. The pluses far outweigh the minuses.
You will need to keep an eye on some soil tests; at least test after a year or 2.... phosphorous levels can get high from poultry litter....
4 tons to the acre seems a little thick. Do you soil test? Please show pictures of the unwanted plants (weeds by definition) that you have and someone here can help identify them, which will help in eliminating them.Just put 4 tons to the acre and have been for years. It can be stacked for short periods of time. We paid $36 a ton spread. The only problem I have with it is there must be some left over seeds in the feed they don't eat. You get some unwanted plants that I have never seen before. Hoping 24d will take them out
You will be safe from tetany when cutting the hay in June. Theoretically it could happen in June, but haven't ever heard of it occurring then and wouldn't ever expect the conditions to even remotely come close to being correct for tetany to occur then. I apologize as I hadn't seen you post about hay or tetany in June. Grass tetany results from a insufficient uptake of magnesium by plants during and because of periods of rapid plant growth. The resulting low magnesium content in the grass (during the rapid spring greenup, exacerbated by added nitrogen to increase quick forage production in the spring) results in a deficiency of magnesium in the animal and an imbalance with calcium, which can and often is fatal but can quickly be reversed with an injection of (I think) calcium by a veterinarian with no long term negative effects, if administered quickly enough.It is for the hay field. Cattle won't be grazing till late fall 2024. Should be cutting hay in early June.