Will chicken manure harm a mature tree?

[FetzerDrChickens]

Hello! We are newbies to backyard chickens. We got 6 hens last spring but they outgrew their coop. In November we moved them into a portion of our shed with a run attached so they would have more roaming space indoors and out. It is positioned next to a mature cottonless cottonwood tree. They don’t have direct access to the tree, but they hang out underneath it in the run. I recently read something about chicken manure killing trees… it’s not something that we thought about before putting the run there. My question is, will having the run here hurt the soil / tree? Should we add a layer of bedding such as sand or mulch? Move it altogether?
This tree provides a lot of shade in our backyard (our house faces east) so I would be heartbroken if it died.
Thank you for your input

 

[FetzerDrChickens]

Another concern is the chickens digging too far into the dirt and hitting the roots. Should we be worried about this?

 

[RoyalChick]

The only plants that get damaged by fresh chicken manure are new seedlings and maybe some annuals with tender stems. The tree will be fine.

In terms of digging up roots, that is a concern for shrubs and all plants smaller than a shrub. I think a mature tree would be fine - but a newly planted sapling might get damaged. I lay down bits of broken paver, bricks and rocks around my shrubs so the chickens can get the shade but not dig up the roots. I don’t bother doing that for the trees.
Hope that helps.

 

[perkolator]

Cottonwoods are a variety of tree that's almost unkillable, it'll be fine with as much poop and chicken scratching over its roots as you can throw at it.

 

[FetzerDrChickens]

The only plants that get damaged by fresh chicken manure are new seedlings and maybe some annuals with tender stems. The tree will be fine.

In terms of digging up roots, that is a concern for shrubs and all plants smaller than a shrub. I think a mature tree would be fine - but a newly planted sapling might get damaged. I lay down bits of broken paver, bricks and rocks around my shrubs so the chickens can get the shade but not dig up the roots. I don’t bother doing that for the trees.
Hope that helps.

Thank you for your response!

 

[FetzerDrChickens]

Cottonwoods are a variety of tree that's almost unkillable, it'll be fine with as much poop and chicken scratching over its roots as you can throw at it.

Thank you!

 

[SourRoses]

Any kind of fertilizer with Nitrogen in it should be kept away from trunks. It won't hurt in a day, month, or year, but over a couple years it can. Some people who put compost too close to their trees kill them by rotting off the bark which allows disease, moisture, and insects into the tree.
I learned about that from a program featuring an orchard manager.

The necessary distance depends on the size of the plant, there's no one rule. When I fertilize my potted decorative trees and plants, I keep at least 6 inches away. For a big tree, and depending how rainfall may move the fertilizer, a bigger distance may be necessary.
At the same time, fertilizer over the root mass is great for growth. So I would leave the tree where it is, but make checking on it part of your weekly routine. If the chickens happen to poop too close in a significant quantity (rather unlikely) just clear it away a bit. Fill in any holes (although, it is best not to disturb the earth if they are not already digging there, because they will take it as a cue to dig there). If they dig too much, consider using hardware cloth or a landscaping specific material as a skirt (horizontal) around the tree.

Lastly, trees (and bushes) are good for chickens, providing shade, a feeling of safety, and enrichment.

 

[Perris]

Any kind of fertilizer with Nitrogen in it should be kept away from trunks. It won't hurt in a day, month, or year, but over a couple years it can. Some people who put compost too close to their trees kill them by rotting off the bark which allows disease, moisture, and insects into the tree.
I learned about that from a program featuring an orchard manager.

The necessary distance depends on the size of the plant, there's no one rule. When I fertilize my potted decorative trees and plants, I keep at least 6 inches away. For a big tree, and depending how rainfall may move the fertilizer, a bigger distance may be necessary.
At the same time, fertilizer over the root mass is great for growth. So I would leave the tree where it is, but make checking on it part of your weekly routine. If the chickens happen to poop too close in a significant quantity (rather unlikely) just clear it away a bit. Fill in any holes (although, it is best not to disturb the earth if they are not already digging there, because they will take it as a cue to dig there). If they dig too much, consider using hardware cloth or a landscaping specific material as a skirt (horizontal) around the tree.

Lastly, trees (and bushes) are good for chickens, providing shade, a feeling of safety, and enrichment.

your concern about the trunk does not apply here since the OP wrote

It is positioned next to a mature cottonless cottonwood tree. They don’t have direct access to the tree,

and you can see from the photo what sort of distance they are talking about.

 

[FetzerDrChickens]

Any kind of fertilizer with Nitrogen in it should be kept away from trunks. It won't hurt in a day, month, or year, but over a couple years it can. Some people who put compost too close to their trees kill them by rotting off the bark which allows disease, moisture, and insects into the tree.
I learned about that from a program featuring an orchard manager.

The necessary distance depends on the size of the plant, there's no one rule. When I fertilize my potted decorative trees and plants, I keep at least 6 inches away. For a big tree, and depending how rainfall may move the fertilizer, a bigger distance may be necessary.
At the same time, fertilizer over the root mass is great for growth. So I would leave the tree where it is, but make checking on it part of your weekly routine. If the chickens happen to poop too close in a significant quantity (rather unlikely) just clear it away a bit. Fill in any holes (although, it is best not to disturb the earth if they are not already digging there, because they will take it as a cue to dig there). If they dig too much, consider using hardware cloth or a landscaping specific material as a skirt (horizontal) around the tree.

Lastly, trees (and bushes) are good for chickens, providing shade, a feeling of safety, and enrichment.

Thank you for sharing this info! Good to know about fertilizer and getting too close to tree trunks. In this case the chickens can’t actually reach the trunk. Their run is set up right beside it. So, hopefully it will actually help the roots, like you mentioned

 

[mowin]

Your tree will be fine. The only way you would hurt that tree is if you piled used bedding around the trunk, and your not doing that. The root system is well established and even if the gals scratch up a few areas, it's not going to hurt anything.