Chicken manure contains antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) that can spread in soil when applied as fertilizer. Researchers studied the effects of chicken manure and heat-treated chicken manure on soil resistome after 3 years, compared to mushroom residues. They found that heat treatment removed many ARGs from chicken manure. Although chicken manure had more ARGs, the total ARG abundance in soil was similar across all treatments. Soil bacterial communities differed between treatments, but were not strongly linked to ARG profiles. Only a small fraction of chicken manure bacteria survived in soil, with intrinsic ARGs being the main source of soil ARGs. Heat-treated chicken manure had similar total ARG abundance to mushroom residues, suggesting it may reduce the risk of spreading ARGs in soil.