2026-11-12
Why chicken manure makes a strong fertilizer feedstock
Poultry have a short digestive tract, so a large share of the nutrients in their feed passes straight through. Renyuan's production notes put feed utilisation at around 30%, which is why chicken manure is rich in nitrogen and organic matter. Its dry matter contains about 30–70 g of nitrogen per kilogram.
Those same properties make raw chicken manure unsuitable for direct field use. It has a strong smell, it heats up as it breaks down, and it can carry pathogens and weed seeds. Controlled aerobic composting turns it into a stable, odour-free fertilizer.
Three ways farms handle chicken manure
Renyuan sees three common approaches, depending on the farm's scale and goals:
- Dry the manure and sell it as a raw material for fertilizer plants. This is the simplest option.
- Compost it with a microbial inoculant and sell it as powder fertilizer. The equipment is simple and the investment is small.
- Install a complete line that composts, granulates and packs a finished product for the market.
Process flow
A complete chicken manure line has two parts: composting first, then finishing. Belt or screw conveyors link the machines.
- Estimate annual output from flock size, then choose ground windrows or composting troughs to suit the site.
- Mix manure with bulking materials and a composting inoculant, then compost aerobically while a turner mixes and aerates the material.
- Crush the composted material with a semi-wet crusher. It handles material at 30% moisture or below and produces powder of about 20–30 mesh, fine enough for granulation.
- Mix in a horizontal mixer so that the formula is uniform before forming.
- Granulate, then dry, cool and screen the granules. Oversize and fines return to the line.
- Weigh and bag the finished fertilizer.
How long composting takes
With a composting inoculant and regular turning, Renyuan's field records describe this timeline for chicken manure: the odour is gone after about 3 days, hygienisation is complete after about 7 days, and the material is mature fertilizer after about 15 days.
Renyuan's Rw inoculant documentation states that the pile reaches 55 °C or more within 48 hours when the ambient temperature is above 0 °C, loses its odour in 2–3 days and matures in 10–15 days. Actual timing depends on moisture, bulking material and temperature.
Choosing the composting turner
Chicken manure is composted either in open windrows or in fixed troughs. Windrow sites use a self-propelled crawler turner that straddles the pile. Trough sites use a trough turner that runs on the trough walls and moves between troughs on a transfer trolley.
| Option | Renyuan model | Catalogue figures |
|---|---|---|
| Windrow (crawler) turner | RY-LFD series | Turning width 2.5–3.5 m; capacity 577.5–1029 m³/h |
| Large windrow turner | RY-YFD / RY-YLD series | Turning width 3.5–6 m; capacity up to 2772 m³/h (RY-YLD6000) |
| Trough turner | RY-ZFP standard series | Turning width 3.76 or 4.76 m; depth ≤1.0 or ≤1.5 m; travel ≤60 m/h |
| Enclosed tank | Intelligent aerobic fermentation tank | Chamber volume 32–116 m³ with biological odour treatment |
Granulation options
A disc granulator is easy to operate and adjust, and suits most composted manure formulas. An extrusion granulator forms granules from drier material, and a three-drum polisher can follow it to round and smooth the granules. The choice depends on your formula, target granule size and whether you plan to dry the product.
What to send us for a configuration
- Number of birds and daily manure tonnage
- Moisture content and any bedding or litter mixed in
- Powder or granular product, and the bag size you plan to sell
- Site dimensions, existing buildings and available power
Renyuan equipment for this line
- RY-LFD Series Crawler Compost Turner
RY-LFD crawler turners mix and aerate composting windrows across several working widths. Start with windrow width, then check site access and the turning requirements of the selected model.
- RY-ZFP Standard Trough Compost Turner
The standard RY-ZFP series turns and mixes organic material in fixed composting troughs. The 40/50 and A/B combinations have different widths, working depths and main motor ratings, so selection begins with the trough geometry.
- RY-FS60 Vertical Crusher
A vertical crusher for reducing fermented organic material before screening or further processing.
- Disc Granulator
Forms fertilizer granules in a rotating disc and connects with mixing and downstream finishing stages.
- Rotary Drum Dryer
A rotary dryer for fertilizer materials, arranged with a heat source and dust-collection equipment as required.
- RY-GS Trommel Screen
The trommel screen grades fertilizer material through a rotating screen. Use it after crushing for powder processing or in granule finishing, with apertures and recycle routes matched to the finished-product size.
- Rw Bio-Organic Fertilizer Fermentation Inoculant
A liquid mixed-microorganism preparation for fermentation of livestock manure and other organic materials.
Frequently asked questions
Can chicken manure be dried and sold without composting?
Yes. Drying the manure and selling it as a raw material for fertilizer plants is the simplest option. Composting it yourself adds value because you sell finished fertilizer instead.
How long does it take to compost chicken manure?
With an inoculant and regular turning, Renyuan's records show the odour is gone in about 3 days, hygienisation is complete in about 7 days and the fertilizer is mature in about 15 days.
Is chicken manure processed differently from pig manure?
The process is broadly the same. Equipment selection follows tonnage, moisture and the finished product rather than the animal species.