Development and evaluation of a drop applicator for poultry litter

A drop applicator was developed for applying poultry litter in a uniform swath at controlled rates. The unit, which used a floor chain arrangement to meter out poultry litter from the bottom of the hopper over a 1.7 m (5.5 ft) width, was designed to facilitate research plot work with litter and other similar materials. The results of tests conducted with the unit showed that litter application rate was not affected by the depth of litter in the hopper and that calibration was primarily volume-based and therefore dependent on chain speed. Results showed that the litter was applied with fairly good uniformity across the swath, but the application rate fluctuated cyclically in the direction of travel when individual chain flights were used for the floor chain. The cyclic fluctuations were eliminated when a mesh chain conveyor was used for the floor chain, giving good uniformity in the direction of travel.