Potential for Reducing Nutrients from the Poultry Industry in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed

Abstract

Over 800,000 million broilers are raised in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Together with turkeys and laying hens, poultry production is a major source of N and P loads that are transported to the Bay from agriculture. Nutrient management planning, phytase addition to feed, use of high available P corn and pellitizing the litter are the most promising BMPS for broiler for reducing N and P loads. Nutrient management planning, composting, pellitizing, and using layer hen manure for mushroom substrate are the most promising BMPs for laying hens. salt water. The Bay is rather shallow, with a mean depth of 10 m. There are six major basins within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. These are the Potomac, Susquehanna, Rapahannock, York, James and Patuxent basins. These basins supply 90% of the flow to the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The Susquehanna River alone drains 43% of the watershed and contributes nearly 50% of the freshwater. Agriculture is the largest contributor of nonpoint source nutrients, with 50% of the N and P from agriculture coming from manure. With the 2000 Bay Agreement further nutrient load reductions are being developed than the original reductions in the 1987 agreement. Since livestock and poultry are large sources of N and P in the watershed, further reductions in nutrient loads from animal agriculture will have to be developed. This paper will discuss the potential for N and P reductions in manure in the poultry industry if new manure management technology is adopted. Most of the poultry productions is in the Susquehanna River, Shenandoah River and Eastern Shore watersheds. The Shenandoah River is part of the Potomac River tributary and has the most intense livestock and poultry production in Virginia. Current Poultry Manure Management Systems The poultry industry in the Chesapeake Bay watershed consists of layers, broilers and turkeys. In 2004, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and Pennsylvania produced 284,600, 263000, 240,700 and 133,500 million broilers respectively. Virginia raised