Chapter 1: Introduction

1.1 Background and Justification

Disposal of dead broiler birds and slaughter house waste is becoming a more

and more serious issue in Mauritius, it is therefore important to find a

sustainable way to dispose them off. Broiler meat represents about 75% of

the total meat consumed by Mauritians and with the increase in population

the demand in broiler meat keeps on increasing.

Figure 1: Broiler production in Mauritius

(Source: Areu 2010)

With poultry producers having to increase their production to meet with the

increasing demand of broiler meat, the amount of slaughter house waste and

the number of dead broiler birds to be disposed off have increased. As these

45,000
40,000
wastes cannot be sent to the Mare Chicose landfill station, other disposal

method had to be found.

Rendering is what is being done for slaughter house wastes for the past

years. Burial of dead birds in a pit has been the method of choice for years

because of its low cost and convenience. In 2010, broiler production rate in

Mauritius was about 24 millions and with an average mortality rate of 0.01%,

burying such a high number of dead birds in pits will cause environmental

problems in the near further. It is therefore important to find a method to

dispose off dead broiler birds and recycle them back. One such method is

composting which is environmentally safe, cheap, and practical and

represents no problems to biosecurity. In fact, composting of dead broiler

birds is being done in many countries and several states in the US and many

studies have been done in this particular field. Adopting composting to

dispose off dead broiler birds will be a good solution for big poultry producers

and with Mauritius moving towards a sustainable and green island, adopting

such as a process will be definitely welcomed.

1.2 Composting

Composting is the controlled aerobic biodegradation of organic waste to

produce stable humus-like product known as compost. The process is driven

by microorganisms which break the waste into simpler form. Operating

conditions such as aeration, nutrients, moisture content, pH and particle size

should be monitored to ensure optimal working conditions for the

microorganisms and to avoid the risk of anaerobic conditions or cause loss of

nutrient value through volatisation of ammonia.

1.3 Aims and Objectives

○ Characterize the wastes being generated on the farm and slaughter

house and try to dispose off organic wastes in an environmental

friendly manner.

○ Setting up composting of poultry wastes with other wastes.

○ Assess the different composting parameters over 6 weeks and at

different time intervals until a stable compost is obtained.

○ Compare and assess the final compost with fertilizers.

1.4 Structure of the report

Chapter 1: Introduction

It will highlight composting process as a prospective measure for the

disposal of dead broiler bird and slaughter house waste.

Chapter 2: Literature Review

It describes the composting process and all the parameters that should be

considered and monitored. It includes the different methods of disposal of

dead broiler birds and slaughter house wastes and different composting

methods.

Chapter 3: Methodology
Describes how the project was undertaken and the different parameters that

were monitored.

Chapter 4: Results and Discussions

This will include all the results and analysis of each parameter that has been

monitored and the results obtained.

Chapter 5: Conclusion and Recommendations

It will provide a summary of the key findings of the study and the results

obtained. Based on the results obtained, recommendations were made to

improve the compost.