Impact of layer diet formulation on manure composition

The daily manure production of a laying hen is roughly equal to its feed intake at around 100g, as birds digest about 80% of feed dry matter, and fresh manure is initially close to 20% dry matter. Diet composition and its effect on water intake impact manure quality, its handling characteristics, environmental load and value. Manure can be a valuable commodity as a fertiliser for arable land, although there is often an imbalance in manure volume generated from large farms compared to the loca