composting chicken poop?

[valentinebaby]

Well, with 2 acres to garden, I guess you could call me a lazy chicken composter. When I clean out the "daily droppings" I just throw them on top of the ground by one of my shrubs or plants or the grass (figure the chicks do that when they free range!) I too use the deep litter method and when I clean it completely out, I take the shavings and use them as "mulch" around my plants - haven't had any plant burns or losses and it seems to work great, but this Spring will be the real proof - I'm definitely not an expert on this!

 

[JimWWhite]

Quote:
I forgot about lime. I think I'll get a bag of dolamite lime tomorrow and mix it in on my two big compost piles.

 

[packmomma]

Well I kinda compost. I have the garden divided into 4 sections. As the chickens poop up the coop I clean it out all summer and place it on the 4th section of the garden and that is my "build up" section for the summer. I put food particles, the coop shavings, cow manure, straw and whatever else I can find that will build up that section. My husband and I till that under about 4 times during the summer to mix it through the soil. During the winter and as the sections of the garden are done producing we start spreading it on the other sections as well. By springtime all the sections are well covered and we turn it over in the spring before we plant. I clean my coop every two weeks and only use minimal shavings all summer because it smells if I use the deep litter. In winter I use deep litter and it sits about 2 to 3 weeks depending on if they can go outside a lot. Sometimes if I clean just under the roosts I can go 4 weeks. If the litter doesnt look too bad I kinda rotate and clean under the roosts and then push the other half of the old betting under there and add the new bedding where they dont poop much. I havent had a problem with the poop being "hot" I've actually cleaned out my coop after two weeks and laid it right between my bean rows without a problem. Just for your info I have 10 chickens in a 8x6 coop. Half free range when no snow on the ground. In the coop if snow is on the ground. Hope that is helpful.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Used brooder bedding is good stuff unless you are changing it really often so that it's nearly all bedding and very little manure.

In the past I've spread it in my garden, turned it under, then planted. This is for stuff that has a long-growing season such as sweet potatoes. Made a wonderful crop of those. I wouldn't use it for salad greens or anything else that has a short-growing season and is typically eaten raw.

These last couple of years I've been spreading it around my perennial plantings such as blueberries, roses, camellias, figs and so on. Makes good mulch and supplies nutrients.

If the brooder bedding is heavily soiled use it more sparingly. If it's only lightly soiled use more of it. It's all a matter of how much manure is in the bedding.

.....Alan.

 

[flockof4]

Awesome compost ideas. I definitely feel that the manure is of equal value to the eggs chickens lay. Feeding the vegetable beds/compost is as important as feeding myself. It seems like a big factor in what people do with their litter/manure is what works for them. I find that hay/straw breaks down more quickly than shavings. But other people find that the opposite is true. Maybe climate is a factor? Maybe number of chickens is a factor? Anyway, I look forward to following this thread.

 

[gryeyes]

I'm going to try using rice hulls when I'm done with my current bale of pine shavings.

The feed store folks said it composts much more readily than wood shavings. Figger it's worth a try.

 

[augustmomx2]

Last year was my first year with chickens. I had a pile, an unofficial "compost pile." I threw chicken poo, shavings, leaves, grass clippings etc and it kind of just broke down by itself. My chickens went through it and made more of a mess than a pile, so this year I'm going to try something different. I've recently gotten meat chickens and I'm going to have them stay in one spot and contiuously turn and add shavings. Then, I'm going to make that area my compost pile and use the meat tractor to cover it (after the meaties are gone), from the chickens & the dog.

Also, through the winter I added shavings and poo to the garden, along with leaves, etc. My dh is going to till that in with everything and lets

hope for the best in regards to my soil. I have read a lot and finally tired of it

So, this year is my big "experiment" year. Just trying stuff out to see what works best

 

[cobrien]

Nice tip on the rice hulls. Are they cheaper than wood shavings?

 

[gryeyes]

Rice hulls are not cheaper than wood shavings. They don't compress into the bales you buy at the feed stores, but are sold in huge bags. A bag is cheaper than a bale of pine shavings, but is less square feet of coverage. I think the feed store guy told me it's 13 somethings of pine shavings for 14 bucks, and 8 somethings of rice hulls for 9 bucks. LOL - helpful, aren't I?

I still think it's worth a try. The feed store guy says HE uses the rice hulls, himself, instead of the pine shavings. He also said they "fluff" better in the coop.

 

[ChickenToes]

When I clean out the duck coop, I throw everything in a big pile in an out-of-the-way spot on our property. By the same time next year, it's broken down and ready to be tilled into the garden.