How do moisture levels in litter affect house management?
Moisture in the litter is a necessary contributor to relative humidity inside a poultry house. When litter is pre-heated, moisture is released from the litter contributing to proper relative humidity in the house. When litter is too dry and fine, it is difficult to reach proper relative humidity levels of 50-70% causing dehydration of birds. When litter is too wet, caking occurs easily and ammonia levels can be high later on. |
Is PLT corrosive?
No. The most corrosive substance in the poultry house is ammonia. |
I have wet spots on my chick paper. What does that mean?
Wet spots are a sign of proper PLT activation. PLT is hygroscopic and the wet spots indicate that product is melting and activating properly. |
I don¡¯t smell much ammonia. Can I cut my PLT rate?
We all become desensitized to ammonia fairly quick after starting a poultry operation. It is not uncommon for producers, service techs and other company management to not be able to detect ammonia levels high as 80-100ppm. Just because you don¡¯t smell it doesn¡¯t mean you don¡¯t have damaging amounts of ammonia at bird level. Remember that birds are closer to the source of ammonia. |
How does using PLT save fuel?
PLT allows a poultry house to be ventilated for relative humidity during brooding rather than needing to be over-ventilated for ammonia removal. |
Is it ok if PLT gets in the feed?
Yes. The main ingredient in PLT is also classified as a feed additive |
I applied PLT as directed, but I still had ammonia when my birds arrived. What happened?
One of two things occurred, both resulting in insufficient amounts of PLTleft in the house by the time the birds arrived. Using a rate of PLT that is too low for your litter age and ammonia challenge will result in all of the PLT being exhausted before birds arrive. Also, applying PLT prior to the ammonia purge that occurs during pre-heating can bind all of the PLT that was applied in the pre-heating process leaving no PLT in the house when the birds arrive. Following proper application procedures of PLT will prevent this from happening the next flock. |
Is it safe to apply PLT with birds in the house?
Yes. PLT is the only litter amendment that can be safely applied or reapplied after birds are present in the house. This can be done anytime during the grow-out to shift the pH to a more biologically effective level. |
How does PLT increase my fertilizer value?
PLT binds the ammonia in the house converting it into ammonium sulfate. For every 100-lbs of PLT applied, 54-lbs ammonium sulfate is formed. This nitrogen is plant available after land application. |
Is PLT hazardous?
The major ingredient in PLT is sodium bisulfate which is used in both human and animal foods. Sodium bisulfate is included in the class of compounds know as acid salts. Compared to other acid salts, Sodium Bisulfate is one of the lowest cost and safest available. It is considered non-hazardous by DOT, therefore not regulated. OSHA identifies it as an irritant and the NFPA hazard rating is 1-0-1, very low compared to other acids. If it is spilled it can be swept up, avoiding the environmental headaches associated with liquid acids. |
Why do I have to turn on fans and drop curtains before application?
This quickly removes the ammonia released from the litter during pre-heating. Removing this large amount of ammonia from the pre-heating process will allow the PLT being applied to be reserved for when the birds arrive. Not removing this ammonia can results in a 3-4 day loss of PLT longevity. |
How long will PLT last?
If you use the proper rate of PLT for litter conditions and follow the proper application procedures, you can expect PLT to last for the entire brooding period. |