<b>Rice husks and soy straw as substrate for composting of broiler carcasses</b> - doi: 10.4025/actascianimsci.v33i1.10824

Abstract

The performance of rice husks and of soy straw were evaluated as substrate for on-farm poultry carcass composting, observing the degradation of the two substrate and of the carcasses through monitoring the temperature, weight of the carcasses and of the substrate and physiochemical analysis of the final product. The piles were arranged with carcasses of 10 recently slaughtered birds, with four repetitions in time. A thermo pair was installed in each pile to register the temperature. The substrate and the carcasses were weighed separately, in the beginning, day 15 and day 30 of composting. At the end of each period, the physiochemical analysis of samples were made from each pile, evaluating the pH, the dry material, ashes, P, N, K, Cu, Zn, Mn, Fe and organic carbon. The conclusion was that soy straw can be used as alternative for substrate for composting of broiler carcasses, complying to the C/N demanded by the legislation at the end of the third reuse. The rice coat can also be used as substrate for composting of broiler carcasses and reused a larger number of times. The decomposition of the carcasses was significantly larger, in percentage, in the soy straw at the end of the fourth composting period (p < 0,05).