Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
  • A01K—ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
  • A01K1/00—Housing animals; Equipment therefor
  • A01K1/015—Floor coverings, e.g. bedding-down sheets ; Stable floors
  • A01K1/0152—Litter
  • A01K1/0154—Litter comprising inorganic material
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
  • A01K—ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
  • A01K1/00—Housing animals; Equipment therefor
  • A01K1/015—Floor coverings, e.g. bedding-down sheets ; Stable floors
  • A01K1/0152—Litter

Definitions

• This invention relates to a clay product which is useful as an ammonia control agent in poultry pens and to a method of making such a product.
• diatomaceous earth has been tried, though like peat moss, quickly decomposes to a dust which can irritate the pulmonary system of the young birds. Also, the dust can cause the young birds develop breast blisters and to become crippled by the caking action of the dust upon the damp pads of the birds feet.
• Phosphoric acid for example, is commonly applied to litter by directly spraying the litter with a 50% aqueous solution of phosphoric acid onto the litter which is situated on the floor of the poultry brooding house at a time period immediately before new chicks are introduced to the pen.
• This operation requires specialized equipment (e.g. , high pressure spraying systems) and presents hazards to the workers who are on site.
• firms specializing in this type of work are contracted for the procedure, and as such, are costly to the poultry farmer.
• the present invention provides an acidulated clay-based litter which, when used in poultry brooding houses, controls the amount of ammonia present and improves the growth performance of the young birds. Summary of the Invention
• a clay litter product treated with sulfuric acid is effective in the control of ammonia arising from the decomposition of excrement in poultry brooding houses.
• the litter product is made by contacting a dried or calcined raw clay with sulfuric acid to produce an acidulated clay containing at least about 15 weight percent sulfuric acid.
• the inventive acidulated clay product beneficially allows a poultry breeder to control ammonia levels in pens of broiler and poultry housing facilities, especially during cold weather when controlling air ventilation is limited or economically impractical.
• the inventive acidulated clay product also beneficially increases the quality of young birds reared on the acidulated clay-litter products. Further, the acidulated clay product of this invention requires no activation, can be used directly and applied employing conventional equipment.
• FIGURE 1 is a graphical comparison of the average reduction in ammonia levels in parts per million (ppm) over a period of 35 days by sulfuric acid-containing products of this invention applied to poultry litter at about 0.05 pounds and at about 0.25 pounds per square foot against the untreated litter control.
• a clay litter product useful in the control of ammonia generated by the decomposition of poultry excrement in brooding houses is disclosed.
• the clay litter product is made by contacting a dried or calcined raw clay with sulfuric acid.
• the resultant acidulated clay product is useful for ammonia control in a poultry brooding house.
• Raw clay can be from the hormite mineral group, the smectite mineral group and mixtures thereof.
• the hormite group of minerals includes the palygorskite and sepiolite varieties which have silicate ring, ribbon, or chain structures.
• the smectite mineral group includes the montmorillonites, montronites, hectorite, and saponite varieties, which are constituted by stacked layers of an octahedral sheet of alumina and one or more sandwiching tetrahedral sheets of silica.
• raw clay minerals which are neither hormite nor smectite which may be included in the raw clay are opal, apatite, calcite, feldspar, kaolinite, mica, quartz and gypsum amongst others.
• the raw clay is montmorillonite clay.
• the raw clay is acidulated by the addition of sulfuric acid, usually as an aqueous or concentrated sulfuric acid solution.
• concentration of the aqueous sulfuric acid solution preferably is about 50% by weight and of a concentrated sulfuric acid preferably is from about 93 to about 95% by weight.
• the sulfuric acid content of the resultant acidulated clay is at least about 15 percent by weight, preferably in the range of from about 25 to about 35 % by weight.
• the sulfuric acid can be contacted with the clay in any convenient manner, such as by mixing, spraying or the like.
• the pH (5% slurry) of the acidulated clay product preferably is not more than about 1.5, more preferably not more than about 1.
• the acidulated clay product can then be applied directly to the existing floor bedding or litter in pens of poultry brooding houses.
• the acidulated clay product is spread substantially uniformly over the top surface of the floor bedding or litter by employing a fertilizer spreader or the like or by hand (gloved) broadcasting.
• the acidulated clay can be applied to a poultry pen preferably in an amount in the range of from about 0.05 to about 0.25 lbs/ft 2 to provide from about 0.0175 to about 0.0875 lbs sulfuric acid/ft 2 poultry brooding house floor.
• This example illustrates the reduction in the ammonia level generated from poultry litter in pens of commercial broiler chickens (Gallus domesticus) under simulated field conditions using the acidulated clay-based litter product of this invention at two dosage levels as compared to an untreated litter control.
• Acidulated attapulgite/montimorillonite Low Volatile Matter-Georgia (LVM- GA), 12 x 48 mesh, U.S. Sieve Series, was manufactured by combining about 47.75 pounds of the raw clay with about 75 pounds of substantially concentrated (93 %) sulfuric acid to provide a sulfuric acid-containing clay having about 36 wt. % sulfuric acid, and a pH of about 1.3 (5% aqueous slurry).
• a positive pressure ventilation system was used, and heat was provided by one house gas heater and a gas brooder in each pen and adjusted as necessary to maintain bird comfort. Otherwise, the housing conditions simulated field conditions by achieving a pre-test initial minimum ammonia level of about 80 to 100 parts per million (PPM). Ammonia levels were measured using a Matheson Toxic Gas Detector, Model 8014KA and Precision Gas Detector Tubes #105SC (5-260 ⁇ m). Each brooder pen had two hanging tube feeders of approximately 17-inch diameter each and one automatic hanging bell drinker of approximately 14 inch diameter. Bird migration between pens was prevented by assuring that no openings greater than about 1 inch existed for approximately 18 inches in height between the pens by placing a plywood barrier for approximately the first 18 inches from the floor. Floor space per bird was about 0.7 square feet.
• Used poultry litter i.e, containing poultry excrement
• the litter in the test pens was top-dressed by broadcasting acidulated clay product over the top of the litter employing a fertilizer spreader and the litter in the control pens was not top-dressed.
• Ammonia levels in the air at the bird level were measured in four related pens of each treatment group and control group on the day prior to the litter treatment (day-1), on the day following litter treatment before bird placement (day 0), and on day 4, day 7, day 11, day 14, day 21, day 28, day 35 and day 48 of the test after bird placement.
• the results are shown in Table 2 and the average results over a period of 35 days are graphically shown in FIGURE 1.
• This example illustrates the acidic stability of an acidulated clay product of this invention, based on its pH.
• Low Volatile Matter Mississippi (LVM-MS) clay was loaded to its maximum capacity of about 36 wt. % sulfuric acid by mixing the raw clay with either diluted (50%) sulfuric acid to provide a Regular Sulfonated Montmorillonite Clay product (RSMC) or concentrated (about 94 wt. %) sulfuric to provide a Concentrated Sulfonated Montmorillonite Clay product (CSMC). Both acidulated clay products were initially analyzed for pH (5 % aqueous slurry) (day 0) and then stored at ambient room temperature and humidity for a period of 17 days, during which storage period, the pH of the acidulated clay products was analyzed again at day 3, day 10 and day 17 of storage. The results are shown in Table 7.

Landscapes

• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Environmental Sciences (AREA)
• Zoology (AREA)
• Animal Husbandry (AREA)
• Biodiversity & Conservation Biology (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Inorganic Chemistry (AREA)
• Housing For Livestock And Birds (AREA)
• Fodder In General (AREA)
• Agricultural Chemicals And Associated Chemicals (AREA)

Priority Applications (4)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=21708311

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (8)

Cited By (1)

Families Citing this family (18)

Citations (2)

Family Cites Families (12)

• 1998
  • 1998-01-07 US US09/003,936 patent/US5960743A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
• 1999
  • 1999-01-07 CN CNB998037613A patent/CN1134210C/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1999-01-07 WO PCT/US1999/000362 patent/WO1999034665A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 1999-01-07 TR TR2000/01814T patent/TR200001814T2/xx unknown
  • 1999-01-07 MX MXPA00006771A patent/MXPA00006771A/es active IP Right Grant
  • 1999-01-07 BR BR9906749-8A patent/BR9906749A/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1999-01-07 EP EP99901366A patent/EP1045633A4/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 1999-01-07 JP JP2000527137A patent/JP2002500024A/ja active Pending

Patent Citations (2)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events