Imagine this: It’s the day after cleanout or catch night, and you notice a big litter mess outside your poultry houses. Now, you probably don’t have to “imagine” that—it’s your reality. What do you do about all that litter? How do you manage it in your parking lot? Jason Jackson gives us the scoop on how he keeps litter piles under control on his farm.
Tips for Litter Management in Your Parking Lot
Jason says there are all kinds of different ways that folks go about dealing with the litter piles that form outside their poultry houses after cleanout or catch night. No matter how you manage it, the ultimate goal is to keep your parking lot clean and free of litter. Here’s how Jason takes care of it on his farm and what he recommends if you don’t already have a method that works well for you.
First, Jason says to scoop up as much of the litter as you can with your bucket, trying not to get the gravel. You can only get so much with the bucket, so you’ll still have a good bit in the gravel.
Since you don't want a concentrated amount of litter in your parking lot, the best way that Jason has found to deal with the rest is simply to disperse it across his entire parking lot with his tractor and box blade.
To disperse the litter, Jason prefers to do big figure eights. That way, the litter is spread evenly throughout the gravel. Jason gets fresh gravel with the box blade and drags it back into the area that had the litter in it. As you disperse the litter out over your entire parking area, it's no longer a concentrated source of potential pollutants that can run off. Plus, it makes your parking area look much cleaner and presentable.
Jason references the old adage “dilution is the solution to pollution” as applicable in this context. If you spread out the litter and disperse it (or dilute it!) across the entire parking area, only small amounts run off at a time.
Small Details Make a Big Difference
Keeping your farm’s roads and gravel clean requires simple maintenance. After each flock, Jason tries to go out in the parking lot and make those big figure eights with a box blade or land level to help grade out and disperse the litter that gets scattered.
Jason says that this business is all about attention to detail, much like John Tuck mentioned in our last video. The small details add up and make a big difference. Taking care of small details, like dispersing litter, doesn't necessarily have to happen immediately, but the sooner you have the time—or make the time—for it, the better off the end result will be.
Contact Us
If you have any questions, contact me at allen@southlandorganics.com. For more tips and tricks for poultry growers, subscribe to our YouTube channel.
