Reducing Volatile Fatty Acids in Poultry Litter with Chemical Additives: A Laboratory Experiment

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of adding ferrous sulfate, aluminum sulfate (alum) and aluminum chloride to poultry litter on pH and volatile fatty acids (VFAs) in a laboratory study. The treatments utilized in this study included an untreated control, 8g of FeSO4, 8g of alum, and 8g of AlCl3/100g of litter. All three chemicals reduced total VFAs, as well as individual VFA concentrations for most times. However, no significant differences were observed (P>0.05) among all treatments in acetic acid at 1 week and n-butyric acid content at 2 weeks. The reduction in total VFAs and acetic acid concentrations obtained from litter over time was in following order: 8g of AlCl3/100g of litter>8g of alum/100g of litter>8g of FeSO4/100g of litter>Control. When compared to the controls at 3 weeks, total VFA production was reduced by 14, 33, and 42%, respectively, with 8g of FeSO4, alum, and AlCl3/100g of litter. Likewise, application of 8g FeSO4, alum, and AlCl3/100g of litter decreased acetic acid by 9, 25, and 39%, respectively. These results would help to fill a need for a technical method suitable for decreasing the negative environmental impact of poultry litter.