Chickens are raised in large climate-controlled barns where they are free to roam, eat and drink freely. The barns are lined with fresh bedding (called “litter”) at the start of every flock cycle. The litter must be a natural, nontoxic material free of contaminants and be very absorbent to soak up moisture and keep the birds dry. Pine shavings are a common choice for many chicken farmers.
The average Canadian chicken farm receives 36,000 chicks at the start of each cycle and it takes 35 – 40 days to raise a batch of chickens for their meat. Once the chickens are shipped to the processor, the barns are cleaned out and the manure is collected in large compost piles. This happens 6 – 7 times per year, which means a lot of chicken poop!
The collected manure is a mix of the litter, feces, spilled feed and feathers. It is most commonly used as a natural fertilizer and spread on farmland to improve soil health and plant growth as it is high in nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. Some farmers also use it as a biomass fuel for their farms because it is highly combustible.
