Project ID: 2006DE75B

Title: The Effects of Dietary Level and Source of Copper on Broiler Copper Excretion and Movement of Copper Through Broiler Excreta-Amended Soils

Project Type: Research

Start Date: 06/01/2006

End Date: 02/28/2007

Congressional District: At large

Focus Categories: Non-Point Pollution, Toxic Substances, Groundwater

Keywords: copper toxicity, manures, animal diets, leaching

Principal Investigator: William Saylor (Department of Animal and Food Sciences, University of Delaware)

Federal Funds: $1,750

Non-Federal Matching Funds: $3,500

Abstract: Copper added to poultry diets accumulates in manures and may be toxic to plants or aquatic ecosystems. This research will evaluate the effects of the micro-mineral constituents in poultry feed and subsequent excreta on soil forms of copper and the potential for copper loss to nearby water sources. Of particular interest is how the source of copper in poultry diets (e.g., copper sulfate, chelated copper) affects the potential mobility of copper in soils. The information obtained from the research can be used to determine diet adjustments and precautions needed in order to conserve and protect our waterways. The specific objective of this project is to fractionate broiler excreta copper into chemically definable forms (e.g., soluble, organically complexed, oxide bound). Subsequent experiments will determine the relationship between copper speciation and leaching of excreted manure copper through soils amended with manures generated from diets that used different sources and levels of copper.

Progress/Completion Report, PDF