Poultry Litter Not Recommended for Fertilizing Horse Pastures

A neighboring farmer raises chickens and turkeys, and he’s offered to spread some of the used poultry litter on your pastures. You know this material is loaded with nitrogen and maybe other minerals that could enrich your soil, but you’ve never heard of using it as a fertilizer like other types of manure. Is this a good idea?

Kathleen Crandell, Ph.D., senior nutritionist for Kentucky Equine Research, comments, “Poultry litter is generally not recommended for use in fields that horses will be grazing or used for making horse hay because of the increased risk for salmonella contamination. Horses are much more sensitive to salmonella than other livestock because of their digestive tract physiology, and this infection can prove deadly.” She suggests that you should probably tell your neighbor thanks, but no thanks.