Page 61 - IJES Special Issues for AIEC2016

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Poultry Production and Environmental Health

Hanan Al-Khalaifa*

Environment and Life sciences Research Center, Desert Agriculture and Ecosystems
Program, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, P.O. Box 24885, 13109 Safat-
Kuwait

International Journal of Abstract. The localization and intensification of the poultry industry over the
Environment and past 50 years has incidentally created a largely ignored environmental
Sustainability [IJES] management crisis. As a result of these changes in poultry production,
ISSN 1927-9566 concentrated animal feeding operations produce far more waste than can be
Vol. 5 No. 1, pp. 51-55 managed by land disposal within the regions where it is produced. However,
(2016) much less attention has been given to the potential risks related to poultry waste
constituents, including ammonia, pathogenic bacteria, antibiotic-resistant
bacteria, and residues of the drugs added to poultry feeds. In addition, there are
several chemicals emitted from poultry litters, which in turn affects the
environment in both beneficial and detrimental ways. Several steroid hormones
and trace elements are also found to impact the environment and human
population. This paper will focus on the effects of poultry production on the
environment, and vice versa, and the methods used to utilize poultry litter to
mitigate the effects on the environment and climate change.

Keywords. poultry, environment, animal feeding operations, climate change

*Correspondence:
hkhalifa@kisr.edu.kw

Nitrogen Silva culture studies in North America and
Europe document accelerated forest growth in
Considerable quantities of nitrogen (N) are recent years, and a portion of this faster growth
consumed in feed and excreted by poultry. The has been attributed to increased atmospheric N
excretion of N is largely due to the excess inputs (Kurz et al., 1995; Brinkley and Hogberg,
protein and amino acids fed to poultry. This 1997). European forests that receive N from
excess occurs because the ratios of amino acids atmospheric deposition also show an increase
in the feedstuffs fed to poultry are not perfectly in nitrate leaching, as much as 30% of inorganic
balanced in the corn, soy, wheat, and other N deposition (Likens et al., 1996). Several
grains and ingredients used to formulate studies have shown that in temperate zones,
poultry diets. To meet the minimum require- fertilizer inputs and atmospheric N can lead to
ments for certain essential amino acids, some soil acidification (Reuss and Johnson, 1986;
amino acids that are in abundance in the Huenneke et al., 1990).
feedstuffs are consumed in excess. In addition,
not all amino acids are fully digested by poultry. Many plant species in unmanaged ecosystems
are adapted to low N environments. Emissions
In practical poultry diets, approximately one- of N compounds can result in N fertilization and
third of the N is incorporated into the tissues species change in natural ecosystems. A number
and eggs of the bird, and two-thirds is excreted. of fertilization studies have demonstrated that
In the case of poultry, N is excreted as uric acid increased N availability promotes the domi-
and as undigested protein in fecal waste. nance of fast-growing, nutrient-rich plant
Approximately 50% of the N content of freshly species to the detriment of slower growing,
excreted poultry manure is in the form of uric nutrient-poor species (Tilman, 1997; Aerts and
acid. The N in uric acid can be very quickly Berendse, 1988; Houdijk et al., 1993).
converted to ammonia (NH3) by hydrolysis,
mineralization, and volatilization (Oenema et
al., 2008).