Using Chicken Poop/bedding in my garden???

[Willow's Meadow]

I do the deep litter method in my coop. The shavings have been building up over the winter. Now its pretty dirty in their and starting to smell a little bit. So I want to take all the bedding out and put new bedding in there. But their is so much bedding in there now (the coop is 11 by 6) and I don't know what to do with all of it. I don't want to put it all in my garden. Should I mix the shavings/chicken poop with dirt and then put it in my garden??? I can put some in my garden and some in my compost pile but I don't know what to do with the rest of it. Should I just dump it in the woods???

 

[chickenfinatic14]

mmmmm... I would try offering it to other people/garden clubs or i guess just throwing it in the woods (maybe burying it??)

 

[<3ChickenForever]

Chicken poop is very good fertilizer for the soil in your garden. Everytime I clean out the hen house or the chicken brooder I put it in the garden.

 

[chickenfinatic14]

oh, and yes, mix it with soil or dirt before putting it in the garden.

 

[aggie9296]

dump it where you won't mind the smell. let it compost naturally. go back later and reclaim it for use.

fresh litter is usually too "hot" for a current garden and will burn the plants. you could put it directly on the yard too, but again, can burn the grass if hot and dry. watering the bejeezus out of it helps prevent the burning and with the smell.

 

[Mick43]

I do the deep litter method in my coop. The shavings have been building up over the winter. Now its pretty dirty in their and starting to smell a little bit. So I want to take all the bedding out and put new bedding in there. But their is so much bedding in there now (the coop is 11 by 6) and I don't know what to do with all of it. I don't want to put it all in my garden. Should I mix the shavings/chicken poop with dirt and then put it in my garden??? I can put some in my garden and some in my compost pile but I don't know what to do with the rest of it. Should I just dump it in the woods???

I have been told, chicken manure should decompose outside of a garden for at least 3 months to kill any bacteria or toxins before you put it on a garden. I have an outdoor compost bin I put it into, and in the fall add leaves and in the spring will be adding cut grass. So I have to areas side by side and rotate them every 3 months, so one is decomposing while I'm using the other.

 

[Winter Creek Coop]

You could compost it or till it in now if it is fairly broken down. If the shavings are not broken down as in composted some they can rob your soil of nitrogen while they break down. On the other hand the poop adds nitrogen and other nutrients. If you till it in now at not to great a concentration as in spread it kinda thin it will have some time to get broken down and mellowed a bit before planting.

 

[Winter Creek Coop]

But don’t throw ot away. Its a great addition to the garden. Especially once composted. Ive used it as the primary fertilizer for my commercial organic garden for years.

 

[MarkJr]

Hot compost turns it quick. Awesome fertilizer. I condition my beds with 2-3 inches of it, then till under a week before planting.

 

[Pghelp]

Put it in your compost bin. It will break down fairly quickly with the manure.