KarennFallon

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Thank you, I have been browsing thu the various articles. Great info. One thing I haven't come across yet, obviously I haven't exhausted the site, is what everyone is doing with the manure and debris from cleaning out their coops and pens. I live in the desert and our "soil" is sand, so I have raised veggie garden beds with commercial garden soil that I am trying to fortify a little each year. A month ago, I obtained two Royal Palm turkeys, tom and hen, this year's hatch, from a fella moving, with the idea of finishing them and butchering soon. Two weeks, I also purchased, 6 hens, mixed breeds from someone else moving, to butcher this week. All that being said, there is lots of timothy grass and manure that needs to be dealt with. As I clean the coop and pen every other day, and put the timothy grass and manure in the veggie beds for the winter, I'm wondering will it be "too hot" for next Spring's planting?
 
Thank you Yorkshire Coop, I'm excited by the possibilities and much needed advice. Sounds like you have some acreage for your extended family. Our 3 girls have "flown the coop" and we have two small dogs to keep us company.
My husband and I are retired and renting an old hired workers house on the edge a cattle ranch. The Landlords are wonderful and have allowed us to use the old henhouse and coop that's in the 50' x 30' back yard (sand lot, actually). It has set unused for a number of years and I have been itching to put something in it. My husband, doesn't want to "fool" with animals over the winter, such as it is here, but he patched it up and put on doors so I can get meat birds next Spring. Actually, I have purchased two turkeys and some old hens to butcher soon. We get our eggs from the landlord's hens so short-term birds seem wise for now. Will need everyone's advise on our adventure, that I hope will grow to more.
 
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Chicken poop is too hot to put directly in your garden (don't know about turkey poop, probably the same?). We put ours in a compost pile to let it start to break down. We also add egg shells, coffee filters/grinds and other kitchen waste. Once things have had a chance to get good and broken down, we turn it into our garden.

Sounds like you have a lot going on, I look forward to seeing you around the boards!
 
KarennFallon said:
Thank you, I have been browsing thu the various articles. Great info. One thing I haven't come across yet, obviously I haven't exhausted the site, is what everyone is doing with the manure and debris from cleaning out their coops and pens. I live in the desert and our "soil" is sand, so I have raised veggie garden beds with commercial garden soil that I am trying to fortify a little each year. A month ago, I obtained two Royal Palm turkeys, tom and hen, this year's hatch, from a fella moving, with the idea of finishing them and butchering soon. Two weeks, I also purchased, 6 hens, mixed breeds from someone else moving, to butcher this week. All that being said, there is lots of timothy grass and manure that needs to be dealt with. As I clean the coop and pen every other day, and put the timothy grass and manure in the veggie beds for the winter, I'm wondering will it be "too hot" for next Spring's planting?
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You're welcome. I can't say for certain about turkey poop (never owned any turkeys), but I agree with NorthFlChick about chicken poop being too hot. The poop goes into our composters where it's broken down before being put in the garden.
 
Thank you, NorthFlChick for your reply.
A few months ago, a friend started us composting our coffee, grounds, kitchen scraps and paper shreds and adding some red worms, too. We've already had tomatoes start sprouting in the pile.
When we got the birds, I started adding the manure and Timothy grass to the new beds. There are no plants in them,and if I don't add anymore manure, do you think that everything will be usable by Spring?
If chickens are able to scratch and eat through compost piles, doesn't the compost become too hot to use? It would never dry out, but always be added to by the hens. Ha! I'm confused. Obviously, I too new at both chickens AND composting.
 
KarennFallon said:
Thank you, I have been browsing thu the various articles. Great info. One thing I haven't come across yet, obviously I haven't exhausted the site, is what everyone is doing with the manure and debris from cleaning out their coops and pens. I live in the desert and our "soil" is sand, so I have raised veggie garden beds with commercial garden soil that I am trying to fortify a little each year. A month ago, I obtained two Royal Palm turkeys, tom and hen, this year's hatch, from a fella moving, with the idea of finishing them and butchering soon. Two weeks, I also purchased, 6 hens, mixed breeds from someone else moving, to butcher this week. All that being said, there is lots of timothy grass and manure that needs to be dealt with. As I clean the coop and pen every other day, and put the timothy grass and manure in the veggie beds for the winter, I'm wondering will it be "too hot" for next Spring's planting?
Click to expand...

I need to slow down and read closer...you asked if it would be ok for next spring. Yes, it will be fine for next spring! I was thinking you wanted to drop it directly into the garden when it was growing. Heck, some people put their compost piles straight in the chicken runs and let the birds tear the material down for them. I've never wanted to do that, partly because it would attract more flies in the summer and partly because of the "yuck" factor, lol.
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