Growth of Microorganisms in Fresh Chicken Manure Under Aerobic and Anaerobic Conditions

Utilization of animal manure as feed not only would provide a new source of protein for animals, but also would help to reduce the pollution of our environment. While use of such material as feed is not permitted at this time, research is necessary in order to determine the feasibility of using manure as feed in the event it is made legal. Poultry manure, which can contain more than 13% uric acid, can be fed successfully to ruminants (Fontenot et al., 1966) since rumen bacteria are able to utilize uric acid as a nitrogen source (Belasco, 1954; and Jurtshuk et al., 1955). Use of a raw poultry manure as a feed for chickens is not feasible for two reasons: first, absorption of nutrients from the intestinal tract in chickens is altered by uric acid (Bare et al., 1964); and, second, the production of riboflavin by intestinal coliform bacteria in chickens…