Feather meal
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (September 2007) |
Feather meal is a byproduct of processing poultry; it is made from
Worldwide, approximately 50 billion chickens were used for human consumption in 2014.
Containing up to 12% nitrogen, it is a source of slow-release, organic, high-nitrogen fertilizer for organic gardens. It is not water-soluble and does not make a good liquid fertilizer. It can be used to:
- Increase green leaf growth
- Activate compost decomposition
- Improve soil structure
When adding it to a garden as a nitrogen source, it must be blended into the soil to start the decomposition to make the nitrogenous compounds available to the plants. As an organic garden fertilizer, it is not synthetic or petroleum-based.
Issues
A 2012 study found that the use of feather meal may contribute to arsenic exposure in humans.[2]
References
- ^ Thornton, Alex (8 Feb 2019). "How many animals we eat each year". World Economic Forum.
- PMID 22244353.
Sources
- Organic gardening information
- Smith, Tara C. (April 5, 2012). "Waste not, want not? Poultry "feather meal" as another source of antibiotics in feed". ScienceBlogs.
 | This agriculture article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This geochemistry article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |