If you run a poultry, pig, or cattle farm, manure management is probably one of your biggest daily headaches. Piles of untreated manure attract flies, generate strong odors, and increasingly draw the attention of environmental inspectors. In many regions, farms are now required to treat livestock waste before it can be applied to land or sold — and failing to comply can mean fines or even a shutdown order. The good news is that a modern manure composting tank solves this problem in days instead of weeks, while turning a costly waste stream into a marketable organic fertilizer product.
An animal manure fermentation tank is a fully enclosed steel vessel designed to speed up the natural composting process. Instead of leaving manure to break down slowly in an open pile, the tank mixes manure with air using an internal agitator or aeration system. This constant oxygen supply lets naturally occurring microbes multiply rapidly, generating heat as they break down organic matter.
One practical requirement: raw manure with a moisture content below 65% can be fed directly into the tank for fermentation — no lengthy pre-drying process needed. Inside the tank, temperatures typically climb to around 55–70°C and are held there long enough to kill pathogens, weed seeds, fly eggs, and parasites. A full fermentation cycle takes about 7 days, compared to 30–60 days for traditional open-pile composting. The end result is a dry, odor-free, granular material ready to be used directly as organic fertilizer or further processed into pellets.
Treatment cycle: Traditional open-pile composting takes 30–60 days. A fermentation tank finishes in about 7 days.
Land and footprint: Open-pile composting needs a large open yard or stacking area. A fermentation tank is compact and fits in a small equipment room.
Output quality: Open-pile composting produces uneven, odorous material with pathogen risk. A fermentation tank produces consistent, sanitized material with higher nutrient value.
Operating cost: Open-pile composting requires heavy manual labor for turning, land cost, and carries compliance fine risk. A fermentation tank is mostly automated, mainly costs electricity, and helps you avoid compliance penalties.
The difference comes down to control. A manure to fertilizer fermentation tank gives you consistent temperature, oxygen, and mixing — variables that are nearly impossible to manage in an open pile, especially in bad weather.
Poultry farms (layer/broiler): Chicken manure has high nitrogen content and produces strong ammonia odor — fast aerobic fermentation is especially effective here.
Pig farms: Pig manure tends to be wetter, so keeping input moisture below the 65% threshold (through basic dewatering if needed) ensures smooth, efficient fermentation.
Cattle/dairy farms: Larger manure volumes usually call for a bigger tank or multiple units running in sequence.
As a general sizing reference (confirm exact figures with your supplier):
Small farms (under ~500 poultry or ~200 pigs): roughly 5–10 m³ of manure per day → a compact 10–15 m³ tank.
Medium farms: roughly 10–30 m³ per day → a 20–30 m³ tank.
Large-scale farms or fertilizer plants: 30+ m³ per day → multiple tanks or a custom large-capacity system.
Choosing the right fermentation tank size and configuration depends on your farm type, manure volume, and local regulations. Bolong Livestock Machinery has years of experience manufacturing high-temperature aerobic fermentation tanks for farms across the world. Contact us today for a free consultation and a tank sizing recommendation tailored to your operation.