Yes, that’s right! If the manure is composted first, using it as fertilizer for crops is a good way to recycle waste from chickens.
Manure provides farmers with a natural alternative to synthetic fertilizers. It is also much cheaper to give manure to nearby farmers then to pay to get rid of it at the county dump.
Raw manure often contains harmful bacteria. Composting the manure before spreading it out on the fields kills harmful bacteria that could contaminate streams.
Why can’t the egg farmer just keep the chickens away from streams and other water sources in the first place? Wouldn’t that be easier than selling the manure to other farmers?
Although keeping the chickens away from streams and other water bodies is helpful in preventing pollution from the manure, rain can still wash manure into streams in the form of runoff. The uncomposted manure could contain harmful bacteria that might pollute the water in the stream.
The accumulation of manure also creates unhealthy conditions for chickens and people, so one way or another, the manure will need to be removed from the farm.
