⠀ Composting chicken manure

[Purina]

Chicken manure can be so much more than waste. You’ve likely heard that chicken manure can be great fertilizer for your lawn and garden. This is true, but in small amounts. Since chicken manure is naturally high in nitrogen, it must be broken down through composting before being used as fertilizer in larger amounts.

By composting it with other non-toxic materials, you can turn it into natural garden gold. Looking to source organic fertilizer? Simple create it by feeding your birds an organic complete feed like Purina® Organic crumbles or pellets.

Setting up a home composting system can be a fairly simple process. Just be sure to keep the essentials in mind: space, balance, moisture, heat, air and particle size.

1. Space: Purchase or create a compost bin that is about one cubic yard in size. It is ideal to have two bins with new material added to one bin while the other bin is used for curing. Place the bins in an area with good drainage and some shade.
2. Balance: Be sure to add compostable items that balance the nitrogen and carbon levels in the bin. Chicken manure can make up one-third of the material but should be balanced with carbon-based materials.
3. Moisture: The beneficial bacteria in the compost bin need moisture. Ensure compost materials are about 50-60 percent moisture. Rain or intentional watering helps get nutrients to the microorganisms during the composting process. The pile should be damp but not dripping.
4. Heat: Proper composting produces heat of 160-170 degrees Fahrenheit for a few days to kill most pathogens; you can buy a thermometer to check the temperature.
5. Air and layering: The microorganisms responsible for composting need good airflow to survive; turn the compost pile to add oxygen. This helps microbes break down materials. At the least, turn or mix the compost pile at least once per week. The amount of times the pile is turned can impact the rate of decomposition.
6. Particle size: Smaller particles heat up and decompose faster than larger particles. The best particle size is less than two inches in diameter.
7. Rodents: Composting food scraps can attract pests. If rodents are a problem, consider adding a fence or covering your composting system.

Do you compost your chicken waste? Share your tips and tricks below!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

We don't compost our chicken poop as we get enough in goat and donkey manure for the gardens. We dump the old shaving from the coops out a bit from our shed, than the chickens work them over and they compost in the pasture and fertilize the pasture.

 

[olivialewis]

thanks for the tips. have kept thinking of starting my own composting with chicken manure and garden wastes.