Characteristics of drying process of poultry manure at various temperatures

The main objective of this work was to investigate the evolution of the role of temperature during drying of poultry manure. The following is a description of common treatment methods of poultry manure. The experiments were carried out in a laboratory of Czech University of Life Sciences Prague. The samples were dried by different drying methods. During the drying process the temperatures varied between 21.5°C to 110°C. From the tested samples, by using a pre-drying method, the lowest rate of 16.84% of dryness of the manure matter was achieved. The lowest rate of dry matter as measured in an environment approximating working conditions was 33.65%. These values were gained in two cases and whole drying procedure lasted 48 hours. The samples were compared according to the type of breeding system. The measurement demonstrates that different design of drinking system significantly influenced the moisture content (P 0.05) of the manure. Spillage causes excessive manure moisture. It was observed that higher moisture content was measured for laying hens using nipple drinkers compared to those equipped with downspout accessories. Results from this study provide new data for updating standards that could be used in design and operation of laying hen houses