Chicken poo

[Katrinasofia]

How does everyone dispose of their chicken coop waste? I have a decent amount of property should I just dump it somewhere?

 

[aart]

I sift mine off the poop board daily and put it in a bucket for a friends compost pile.
You could just dump it, but might want to spread it out instead of piling it so it breaks down better.

 

[chickens really]

I dump mine under my trees. It's never an issue.

 

[Ridgerunner]

It depends a lot on your situation and what it is composed of. How often do you clean it out and how much volume are you talking about?

Some people, especially in the city, might bag it and ship it off to the landfill. Some people use it to make compost. I clean mine out once every three or four years and put that on my garden in the fall so it has broken down by planting time. Some people do that every fall. Some clean weekly and do something with it.

I use a droppings board to collect fresh poop and put that in my regular compost pile. That reduces how often I have to clean out the coop itself plus gives me great compost. If the poop gets too thick on the compost pile it can stay wet and draw flies. When that starts to happen I turn the compost or put fresh grass trimmings or dried leaves over it to hide it.

One big factor in how you dispose of the poop or poop plus bedding is that if it stays wet, the poop can start to stink. The same thing can happen if your coop or run stay wet. Depending in what your property looks like and how it is used, spreading it out might work but it could also cause some real issues. What kind of bedding and how much bedding you have with it can affect the appearance or how it beaks down too.

My personal preference is to use it for compost or in the garden but I don't have a clue what is the best for you and your unique situation.

 

[Katrinasofia]

I wasn't sure if I could put it in the garden. Someone told me that it's considered hot and we'll kill things. I do have a big Garden at the bottom of my property where it would be easy to dispose it

 

[Japuvian]

I wasn't sure if I could put it in the garden. Someone told me that it's considered hot and we'll kill things. I do have a big Garden at the bottom of my property where it would be easy to dispose it

It is hot. However if you put it into your garden in the fall it will have all winter to mellow.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I've killed a tomato ad squash before because it is hot and I got it too close to the plant. so now I only do that in the fall so it has time over winter to break down. I till it in so it breaks down pretty fast.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Composting it is a good idea for your garden - I also have other gardeners who take some for their compost piles as well.

If you have too much to deal with, and have the land to use, you can simply just dump it somewhere out of the way.

 

[Mrs. K]

There is a difference in pure manure alone, and manure mixed with bedding. I bed my coop and run in old hay. Lots of it. I put the hay/manure mix on my garden, some tilled in, and some as a deep mulch. I do quit adding in March. Then rain and snow, dilute a lot of it by the time things start growing.

Works for me.

Mrs k

 

[harmonyp]

Compost, absolutely! I have 150 rose bushes (rose math is every bit as much of a "thing" as chicken math! - started out with 3 bushes 10 years ago!) - composted chicken poop is gold to me.