# chicken / broiler litter weight per yard?



## bscottking21

Hi id like to get a rough idea of what a yard of chicken / broiler litter would weigh. i know it depends on moisture content etc but just a rough idea would help so i can make sure im getting the right amount delivered. Thanks


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## Bonfire

A cubic yard? No idea. Always by the ton here. Is there a problem with weighing the delivery vehicle empty and then when full to get a tare weight?


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## ANewman

We sell/ deliver by the ton as well. It can vary greatly based on moisture and bedding material content
Just out of curiosity, why do you need to know the weight of a cubic yard?


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## slowzuki

Tridem dump trailers here haul about 30 yards of material I think, chicken litter I'm told even heaped up is less than half as heavy per load. Driver told me you can't put enough on the truck to get overweight and it can be a problem getting enough weight on drive tires to get up hills to fields.


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## endrow

Used to get broiler litter pretty dry .We figured 30 pounds per cubic foot . Hauled with 410 cu. ft. box spreaders could get a good 6 ton on . Analysis was something like 3-3-2.


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## NDVA HAYMAN

It ranges from 30-40 lbs per cubic ft. Depending on the moisture content and the type of chickens and litter used. This is according to my supplier. All manure is not equal ! Mike


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## NDVA HAYMAN

27 cubic ft. In a yard


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## ETXhayman

NDVA HAYMAN said:


> All manure is not equal


 What Mike said is spot on. As a large scale poultry grower myself I would tell you ask your supplier how often they do a total litter cleanout of their houses. You could also ask them if they have the results of their litter samples. All large scale farms are required to sample their litter once a year. Many farms will do a total cleanout once a year and put fresh shavings back into their houses but this causes the litter to not be nearly as fertile or strong if you will. Once a year we take litter out of our houses but leave enough inside so that we don't need to put shavings in. We will truck our litter to a field 10 miles away before we use weak litter from a farm across the road from the field.


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## vhaby

endrow said:


> Used to get broiler litter pretty dry .We figured 30 pounds per cubic foot . Hauled with 410 cu. ft. box spreaders could get a good 6 ton on . Analysis was something like 3-3-2.


Using your estimates and applying at 2 t/acre puts out the equivalent of 120-120- 80 (N - P2O5 - K2O ) if the analysis reported the oxides of phosphorus and potassium, not the elemental form. Much of this is not readily available to the plant until mineralized by soil micro-organisms, and some of the N is lost by volatilization. If applied at 2 t/acre for hybrid bermudagrass, the normal recommendation is to supplement the nitrogen and potash with light applications of commercial fertilizer.


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