Two experiments were conducted with caged layer waste. In the first experiment fresh waste was treated with: no additive, 2% formaldehyde, 3% sodium metabisulfite, 1% formaldehyde and 2% propionic acid, 3% formic and 2% propionic acids and stored in polyethylene lined 208 liter metal drums. In experiment II waste treated with 2% formaldehyde, 1 % formaldehyde and 2% prop ionic, 3 % formic and 2% propionic (w/w), stored for at least 42 d, used in a metabolism trial as N supplements to a basal diet fed to sheep. The formaldehyde, formaldehyde/propionic and formic/propionic treatments eliminated the bacterial decomposition of the waste and no undesirable fermentation was observed on the stored material. Waste treated with no additive or sodium metabisulfite underwent putrefaction. Nitrogen supplementation of a basal diet with treated caged layer wastes improved apparent digestibility of crude protein and N retention in sheep fed these diets. Supplementation of a basal diet with chemically treated caged layer waste improves the nutritional value of the diet which suggests that caged layer waste is efficiently utilized as a N source by ruminants when used as a protein supplement. / Master of Science

The role of manure applications on soil nutrient dynamics in years after manure applications cease has not been extensively studied. An investigation of two long-term manure trials in the Battersea Drain watershed in southern Alberta was undertaken in 2004 to determine changes in soil nutrient status three years after the initial study was completed. The investigation of the nutrient status of an intensive livestock operation was another component of the study. There was a significant decrease in levels of soil nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the plots that received manure application rates over 60 Mg ha-1. The nutrient status of the farm showed a net export of nitrogen and an accumulation of phosphorus and potassium in the soil. Recommendations for alternate methods for handling manure were presented. / x, 120 leaves : ill (some col.), col. maps ; 29 cm