Performance of Caged White Leghorn Laying Hens Fed Aerobically Stabilized Poultry Manure

This paper assesses the effects of substituting aerobically stabilized poultry manure for tap water on the performance of caged White Leghorn laying hens. Three separate feeding trials over a three-year period were conducted. In each feeding trial, aerobically stabilized poultry manure from an undercage oxidation ditch was substituted for tap water. For the three trials, egg production by the hens receiving the aerobically stabilized poultry manure exceeded that of the control group by an average of 2.6 ± 1.7%. No significant differences were observed in final body weights, mortality, or egg weights between the two groups of hens in any of the three feeding trials.