2 in 



flock. (Poultry farms are usually vacant k to 6 weeks between flocks 

 and flocks are changed every 15 to 18 months.) When the new flock has 

 arrived, the tilling program will have already begun and the manure 

 drying process can begin on the first day. 



If a poultryman waits until a flock has been housed before deciding 

 to till, he has missed the opportunity to prepare dry beds in which to 

 stir the manure. If he waits longer before deciding, he also has to 

 contend with the layer of wet manure being deposited during every day he 

 has waited. Extra time and effort will be necessary to bring manure 

 moisture levels below those preferred by house flies. 



In trials performed at the tilling site, tilling always began after 

 a flock was housed. Manure was tilled a maximum of twice a day with a 

 30 min time interval between til lings. The moisture content of very 

 wet manure was reduced to almost acceptable levels within 3 weeks. 

 Tilling more than twice a day with longer time intervals should help 

 shorten the drying period, but operation and labor costs are increased. 

 Ti 1 1 i ng Frequency 



Tilling frequency depends on the condition of the manure. Powdery 

 dry manure is routinely tilled once a day by poultrymen in the Tampa 

 area of Florida (C. F. Hinton, personal communication). Wet manure 

 should be tilled two or more times daily depending on the individual 

 situation. Except with semi liquid manure, progress can be seen within 

 I week if manure is tilled frequently enough. 



Tilling during rainy weather is not recommended especially if 

 manure is not dry and dusty. Once manure is dry enough to be dusty, 

 wetting it again is very difficult. On occasions when rain blew into 



