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CODE OF GOOD AGRICULTURE
PRACTICE - LITHUANIA
6. STORAGE AND APPLICATION OF ANIMAL MANURE
6.1. CONSTRUCION OF BARN
6.1
Animals have to be reared and kept under such conditions that are not harmful
for animals. Rearing and housing conditions have to be chosen with regard to
peculiarities of animal species and breed.,
Animal husbandry systems and types, the size of barns are designed according
to the branch and specialisation of a farm. The chosen animal keeping system
has to ensure good animal health and high productivity, low expenditure of
fodder, labour, low monetary costs, qualitative production and to protect
environment from pollution with production wastes.
Republic of Lithuania. Law on animal
care, housing and use. 1997 11 06 VIII-500. V.
Rules on pig housing confirmed by the
State Veterinary Service 1998 12 31 by the order No. 4-359.
Rules on technological design of animal
buildings, confirmed by LRAF and LRBU ministries 1997 07 11 order No. 640/247.
Buildings for livestock housing have to be
economical; their dimensions have to correspond to the requirements of
technological processes. Building constructions and interior engineering
facilities have to ensure proper microclimate. The floor in the places of
livestock housing has to be non-slippery, even, of low heat permeability in the
lying place, waterproof, resistant to urine and disinfecting fluids.
Floor slope can not be more than 6 % in passageways, 2 % in kennels and stalls,
5 % in standing places of fatling animals; floor slope in lying places in simple
loose housing littered barn may be up to 10 %. Schemes of the different barn
systems are given in Figures 6.1. – 6.3.
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Fig. 6.1. Standing place for cow in
stanchion barns: A- with bedding; B- without bedding |
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Fig.6.2. Floor in littered loose
barns: A- semideep litter; B- deep litter |
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Fig. 6.3. Barn floor for loose
cubicle barns: A- with bedding; B- with less or without bedding |
It is not favourable to keep cows in
barn during summer. Calves should stay in individual pens up to 2-4 weeks old
and in well-littered group pens up to 4 months old. It is recommended to keep
poultry loosely on deep litter, not in coops. In livestock barns priority should
be given for technologies that use litter.
Technologies of slurry management save expenditures for human labour and
machinery work but they are very expensive and nitrogen losses in manure storage
are bigger than in littered, especially in deep littered, barns. In deep
littered barns expenditures for human labour and machinery work are also saved,
besides that separate manure storage is not needed, cheap cold barns of light
constructions may be built when animals are kept loosely. It is more difficult
for farmer to take care of every animal individually though.
The conventional in Lithuania tied-littered cattle technologies require more
expenditure for labour, but they provide sufficiently dry and warm lair, reduce
nitrogen losses during manure storage, air humidity in the barn, concentration
of hazardous gasses, and the sufficient amount of high quality manure is
obtained. Even if a farmer puts more work to compare with other manure handling
technologies it is so far simpler for him to take care of cattle in this way and
to make individual feeding ration. Recommended litter utilisation rates are
given in Table 6.1.
Table 6.1. Bedding utilisation rates
|
Animal
|
Animal housing type
|
Bedding input kg/day*
|
|
straw
|
peat
|
| Mature cattle |
Tied
Loose with bedding
Loose in cubicles
Loose in combi-cubicles |
2,5
5,0-8,0
0,3
1,5 |
4,0
3,0-5,0
1,0
2,0 |
| Calf under 6 months |
In individual pens
In group pens
Loose in cubicles |
1,5
1,5
0,2 |
-
3,0
0,6 |
| Cattle yearling 6-18 months |
Tied
Loose with bedding
Loose in cubicles |
2,0
3,0-4,0
0,3 |
2,0
6,0-8,0
0,8 |
| Beef cow with calf |
Loose with bedding |
5,0-6,0 |
8,0-10,0 |
| Fatling pig |
In shallow pigsty
On deep litter |
0,15
3,0 |
0,25
4,5 |
| Sow with piglets |
In shallow pigsty |
1,4 |
|
| Sheep |
With bedding |
0,3-1,0 |
|
| Hens and replacement pullets from 19 weeks |
With bedding |
0,05 |
|
| Geese and replacements |
With bedding |
0,10 |
|
| Turkeys |
With bedding |
0,05 |
|
*Humidity of straw used for litter - 15%,
humidity of peat - 45%. Rate of litter has to be increased if its humidity is
higher.
Watering
places have to be made of non-hazardous for animals and waterproof material,
tidy in order to prevent water leakage and increased humidity in the air and
manure. Designing cattle yard, there should be foreseen a collection of
rainwater from the yard and a separate outflow preventing mixing of rainwater
with urine.
6.2
Animals should be fed only with valuable feed at officially determined feeding
norms based on animals need.
The total nitrogen loss in the
farm reduces when animal feeding is well balanced. Valuable ration for animals
and poultry have to be made taking into consideration nutritive value of feed.
It is desirable that the nutritive value of feed available on a farm would be
analysed at least 1-2 times per year in a laboratory.
During preparation of feeding
plans and ration it is recommended to consult with specialists from Lithuanian
Agricultural Advisory Service, regional agricultural departments and science and
education institutions.
Formation of ammonium, hydrogen
sulphide and other gasses hazardous for animal and human health depends on
animal species, feed composition, the amount of litter, age of animals,
frequency of manure removal from the barn, air temperature in the barn and other
microclimate indices. The warmer it is in the barn, the more intensive activity
of bacteria and the more ammonia is formed and released into environment. When
applying more litter and removing manure more often, the formation of hazardous
gasses reduces. Release of ammonia depends on livestock housing type too.
Nitrogen losses may reach 12-15 % and more if livestock is kept on slat floor.
Microclimate of the barn is strongly dependent on ventilation system. Some
natural barn ventilation systems are shown in Fig. 6.4.
 Fig.
6.4. Ventilation systems of natural traction
In
bigger farms it is recommended to collect farmyard manure (littered manure) and
slurry (non-littered manure) in barns by pivotal transporters and push to manure
storage via underground pipe. Then fresh manure gets always under older manure
that is already covered by crust; therefore, evaporation of ammonia and other
gasses reduces, flies multiply in the manure storage less.
6.2. STORAGE OF ORGANIC
FERTILISERS
6.3
In the farms having more than 10 animal units there should be manure storage
of sufficient capacity in order to reduce nutrient losses and preserve
environment.
HELCOM 1992 February 6. Recommendation
13/7. Reduction of ammonia emissions from manure storage.
Environmental requirements for manure and
sewage handling on farms LAND 33-99. -V., 1999.
Depending
on animal keeping system, at the barn there is arranged storage of solid manure
with liquid manure reservoir or storage of slurry, and sometimes equipment of
manure composting, dewatering and biogas evaporation. The solid manure storage
with urine reservoir and slurry removal systems are given in Figures 5.2, 5.3
and 6.5.
 Fig.
6.5. Slurry removal system: 1 – slurry channel; 2 - pit for pumping over; 3 -
pump; 4 - rising pipe of slurry; 5 - slurry reservoir; 6 - ventilator
Intermediate
semi-solid manure is kept in storage of dung yard. If a farm does not have a
manure storage and the matter is co-ordinated with the Regional environmental
department of Environmental Ministry or if there are less than 10 AU, the solid
manure may be temporarily collected in field heaps following these
recommendations:
 | on elevated places in order to prevent
flooding during periods of flood and rain;
| enclosed the site with a ground dam of 50 cm;
| prior to stocking of the site, pour 50-cm
height substratum of air-dry peat or 70 cm substratum of chopped straw,
leaves in order to absorb liquid manure;
| store manure covered with film or with 20-cm
thick layer of peat, chopped straw. |
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6.4
Manure storage should be of such size that manure would be spread only when
the plants can utilise nutrients. The minimum level to be required should be 6
months storage capacity. Urine and slurry stores should be covered or handled
by a method that efficiently reduces ammonia emissions.
HELCOM 1998 March 26. Recomendation 19/6.
Amendments to Annex III of the Helsinki Convention concerning regulations on
prevention of pollution from agriculture.
The volume of solid manure, liquid manure and slurry from the storage per 1
month per animal is given in Annex 6.1. An example for calculation of the
necessary storage capacity of manure is seen in Annex 6.2 (solid manure), 6.3
(liquid manure) and 6.4 (slurry). The calculations take into account the number
of different types of animals on the farm, specific storage type, productivity
levels as well as the information about the amount of manure per animal per year
ex storage as appears from Annex 6.1.
Exceptions:
| if animals are stored in deep barn where
manure is taken away 1-2 times per year and brought directly to the field,
the manure storage by the barn is not necessary;
| if animals are stored in semi-deep barn with
manure passage that is cleaned every day, dung-yard is allocated for storing
of the manure from the passage only. When calculating storage capacity it
should be considered that 75% of livestock faeces fall on the manure path
(i.e. about 32 kg per animal unit);
| if there is a compost site for organic wastes
on the fields, manure storage by the barn may be absent. But then a
dung-yard site for temporal storing (10 days) of manure should be installed
at the barn. Manure for temporary storing should contain at least 20% of dry
matter. |
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6.5
When selecting a place for manure storage, as for every other production
building of livestock-farm, the distance to dwelling houses, water bodies and
roads is determined under the guidance of existing normative.
Special conditions of forest and land
use. (Lithuanian) LRG 1992 05 12 resolution No.343.
Manure storage by the livestock
farm is arranged as possible farther from milking parlour, animal husbandry
processing shop and leeward from dwelling buildings. Open dung-yard for slurry
is built 15 m behind the barn.
All manure removal, collection and processing systems are insulated reliably and
land surface is formed so that urine would not get into ground and surface
waters and the waters to the manure systems.
Solid
manure storage. The cheapest and most
simple storage is overground three-walled, two-walled and one-walled (sometimes
four-walled at small barns) storage when its sole is elevated 5-10 cm above the
ground or deepened only by 50 cm. Height
of breast-walls is till 1.5 m. The sole of storage for manure with high amount
of straw may have a concrete ridge instead of one or some of the breast walls;
the ridge should be not lower than 5-cm height in order to withhold urine inside
the storage and prevent from rainwater coming from the territory of the farm.
When dung-yard is open, urine
mixed with rainwater leaks from manure during rain or snow. Covered concrete
reservoir is installed for storing of the leaked urine mixed with rainwater; the
depth of the reservoir is 2-4 m. Dirty water from the barn yard is directed to
the same reservoir. Data from Annex 6.1 is used for calculation of the volumes
of dung-yard and slurry reservoir. Additional 0.3 m3
of wastewater per cow per month should
be added for cleaning of milking equipment and 0.15 m3
per pig per month for cleaning of pigsty. Calculation examples for 6 months
storage capacity of solid manure pad and liquid manure reservoir are given in
annexes 6.2 and 6.3.
The storage sole and territory
around the storage are done with a slope so that urine flows only to the pit and
rainwater or snow water from the territory of livestock-farm does not flow to
the manure storage.
The breast walls of manure
storage are made of assembled blocks, monolithic concrete, logs or planks. When
the walls are wooden, gutter for collection of urine has to enclose the storage
from outside.
When it is foreseen that heavy
machinery would drive over the sole of the manure storage, the sole should be
made of B 25 and B 75 class concrete or reinforced-concrete. In other case the
sole may be cobbled and then additionally covered by not thinner than 5 cm layer
of concrete. Waterproof concrete suits best. If the sole is permeable, 0.2-mm
width waterproof film has to be stretched under or inside of the concrete layer.
The manure heap made in the
dung-yard is covered by a half-meter straw layer, peat or tent. Ammonia
emissions are reduced in this way.
Slurry
storage. Slurry is stored in deepened or
overground leak-proof storage that has a storage capacity of at least 6 months.
The volume of slurry for one animal is determined from the data given in Annex
6.1.
Calculation example of the
volume of slurry reservoir is given in Annex 6.4.
The deepened manure storage is
moulded out of concrete, assembled out of reinforced-concrete elements; the
overground storage is concrete or metal. Slurry is directed to the bottom of
manure storage so that straws would remain always on the top. If slurry storage
is open, 15-30% of nitrogen evaporates during storage. These nitrogen losses
pollute environment. The reservoir has to be covered in order to reduce ammonia
emissions. If covered with tarpaulin or film, emissions reduce by 60-80%, with
non-burned ceramsit 90% and with chopped straw 40-50%.
Chemical and biological measures
reduce formation of harmful gasses during storage. Oxidising and bacteriological
measures, such as lime and preparation 'Sentil', inhibit activity of
micro-organisms and at the same time reduce formation of ammonia, hydrogen
sulphide, carbon dioxide, mercaptan and scatol type gasses. It is possible to
use superphosphate, ceolites, bentonite and other substances that are able to
bind harmful gasses. Biologically active substances (deodoraze, preparation
'Odor kell') have ferments or specific microbial cultures and therefore bind and
eliminate harmful substances formed in manure. Special preparations added to
slurry not only reduce ammonia evaporation and mitigate pumping but also
preserve crops from burning caused by the applied slurry and improve the
hygienic state of it. The slurry has to be well mixed before pumping out of the
reservoir.
Manure
storage in the vulnerable zones. It is
allowed to build manure storage in the zones where barns are allowed. But the
storage has to be insulated from leaching and built in such a way that breaches
would be easily noticed and eliminated. Building of deepened manure storage or
slurry reservoir in karst region is allowed after geological investigations. In
flooded territories it is not allowed to build the deepened manure storage and
slurry reservoir.
Around slurry storage such dike
is made that all manure flown out during possible accident would fit in the area
enclosed by the dike.
6.3.FORAGE PRODUCTION
6.6
Effluent evolved during silage production should be collected to reservoirs of
slurry or urine.
EU Councile Directive concerning the
protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural
sector (91/676/EEC).
One
of the most perspective feedstuffs for livestock is silage. It may be produced
in different ways: in trenches, clamps, bales, etc. Silage may be produced out
of non-wilted and wilted grass, leguminous and cereal mixture, maize, beet tops,
etc.
Silage effluent ('silage juice')
evolved during production is one of the most hazardous and poisonous pollutants.
Even the small amount of it causes big negative effect on water body as it
reduces the amount of oxygen in water very quickly. The amount of evolved silage
effluent depends on moisture of plants used for ensilage. If grasses are used
for silage it is always recommended to wilt them at least to 27-28% of dry
matter (i.e. about 24 hours) until silage juice do not evolve any more. If
maize, leguminous and cereals mixtures are used for silage they have to be cut
at milky-wax stage (i.e. when plants have about 27-28% of dry matter). Silage
effluent mostly evolves in first two days after ensilage. If ensilage takes
place during rain, even more effluent appears.
Table 6.2. Calculation of silage effluent amount
|
Crops for ensilage
|
Dry matter %
|
Amount of effluent in liters from 1 m3
of silage
|
Non-wilted grass
Non-wilted grass
Non-wilted grass
Wilted grass
Wilted grass
Wilted grass
Mixture of oats and vetches
Maize
Beet tops |
12.5
15.0
17.5
20.5
25.0
30.0
14-22
18-28
12-15
|
350
250
175
100
35
0
300-120
210-0
500-350
|
The main requirements for silage
production:
| If silage is produced in trenches or clamps,
the reservoirs for collection of silage effluent have to be arranged. The
capacity of the reservoir has to be 200 l of effluent for one m3
of silage, i.e. 20 m3
reservoir for 100 m3
of silage.
| Silage effluent can cause corrosion of metal
and concrete. The effluent can easily percolate through sole of the pit if
it is unsuitable. The sole of the pit has to be impermeable to fluids,
covered by concrete or asphalt.
| By walls of the trench there have to be
canals that would be used by silage effluent to flow to the reservoir.
| Silage trenches can not be built in
protective zone of a water body (Special
conditions of forest and land use. (Lithuanian) LRG 1992 05 12 resolution
No.343.).
| The sole of silage trenches has to be with
slope to sides and to front. In the front of the trench there has to be a
canal directed to the reservoir.
| If silage is stored in a clamp, the canal has
to be dug out around the whole clamp.
| The reservoirs for silage effluent have to be
made out of a material that is resistant to corrosion and single, i.e.
without joints (seams).
| Silage effluent can be collected in slurry
reservoir if the latter is made out of materials resistant to corrosion and
is well ventilated. It is not possible to mix silage effluent with slurry in
closed underground reservoirs and inside buildings, because the formed
poisonous gasses may be very dangerous.
| It is recommended to spread a small straw
layer on the bottom of silage trench that would absorb a part of the
effluent.
| If silage is made in bales, the bales have to
be kept at least 10 meters apart from water bodies, wells and draining
facilities.
| Silage effluent can be used as fertiliser and
watered on the fields, but it has to be necessarily diluted with water 1:1
and used at a rate not higher than 50 m3/ha. |
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