Chicken poop as fertilizer.

[n2h20]

the poop i dont think burns your plants from the heat,,, unless you have a mound of it,,, several inches thick.
the burning id say is from the nutrients in the poo,, much like if you use to much conventional fertilizer it will damage the roots and the rest of the plant. i often clean up the poo and sprinkle it directly on my potted plants and have not had any trouble, both now and during the summer..
Merry Christmas, or happy Holidays everyone,

 

[silkiechicken]

Yeah, do compost it. It burns because of the strong pH of the chicken droppings. I just spread it all over the ground up to about two months before planting. During the season, if it is well mixed with shavings, I put thin piles between rows in the garden, not touching the plants and not too heavy.

You'll probably want air in your compost bin. It will break down faster that way I think. The addition of agricultural lime to the chicken compost too will help keep the nitrogen from escaping as ammonia, and also will balance out the acidity of the droppings and assist in decomposition.

 

[n2h20]

silkie..... poo is high in ph? thats good to know. i have some plants that like ph,,, gardenia's... maybe they will actually grow this spring,,,, and bloom.

 

[silkiechicken]

Wait, I mean LOW! It's acidic if I remember right. Thus the ammonia!

 

[n2h20]

aww bummer i have been using coffee grounds to up the ph for my gardenia's,, not working to well..
thanks for the info

 

[racuda]

Coffee grounds are acidic, and have a low ph. Ammonia is an alkali and therefore has a high ph.

 

[leghorn dude]

i did a search a while back and i believe the chicken poop has a ph of around 9 if that helps anyone