Effects of Ammonia and Control Methods Ammonia can lead to major problems for broiler producers if not managed appropriately . Ammonia (NH3) is a form of nitrogen that has the potential to create odors, impact air and water quality, and human and animal health (1). Ammonia is a colorless irritant gas, created from animal waste by microbial activity. By spending money to control ammonia in homes, farmers have the potential to recoup that money and make more profits. Many farmers would tell you that they have low ammonia levels, but the truth is that we cannot smell the ammonia until it reaches 20 PPM; however, the human nose gets used to the smell. Ammonia levels of 50 PPM in a broiler farm can seriously hinder the birds' growth. With larger birds the loss can be as much as a pound per bird. Studies show that even levels below 25 PPM can affect birds. Birds can go blind if exposed long enough to high levels of ammonia. Ammonia in the colder months, when houses are tightly closed, can cause animals to form a flock. It is proven that high levels can create waste of 10-15%. If runtes are present, what happens when raising drinkers and feeders? The bird does not have a chance to mature and cannot be sent to the processing plant. Experiments have shown that 50 ppm ammonia will cause a weight loss of approximately one pound in a typical 7-week broiler farm. With 20,000 birds in the house and paid at a rate of $0.045 per pound, this translates to a loss of $450 per house (6). In addition to the negative impact of high NH3 levels in a poultry facility on birds, they cause health problems for the animals. the custodians of those structures. The high levels of NH3 sometimes found in a chicken coop have also become a cause for concern for the atmosphere outside the po...... middle of paper ...... although the mixture of aluminum + Ca(OH )2 reduced ammonia leaks by 57%. A follow-up study examined the use of aluminum, ferric chloride, ferrous sulfate, and phosphoric acid on broiler litter. Each of these treatments resulted in a decrease in ammonia loss, but again aluminum was judged to be the best option, as ferric chloride is not cost-effective, ferrous sulfate exhibits toxicity, and phosphoric acid contributes to the problems of phosphorus associated with land application. McWard and Taylor found similar ammonia reduction results when testing both alum and sodium bisulfate (2). Ammonia will always play an important role in the poultry industry. How well you manage this will depend on how successful your birds are. As stated above, there are many harmful things that result from high ammonia levels and they should be regularly checked and maintained with proper compounds or waste..