Composting chicken waste

[drmolarmagic]

I was told at my garden center to add earthworms to my compost pile and let them do some of the work.....Seems to be working

 

[tdrengenberg]

All natural materials can be composted. But if you have a large amount to compost I recommend turning the compost more often to get it to break down faster. My wood shaving from chicken coop broke down in about 2 weeks.

Thank you! Since I clean the coop about once every 8 weeks, the bin is getting 8 weeks worth of kitchen compost on top of the pine shavings. I think it's working out. I was just nervous about the pine shavings, but after reading all the replies I feel better about the process.

 

[tdrengenberg]

Thanks,all. After reading the replies I feel much better about my composting process.

 

[Tonyroo]

Adding a lot of vegetable waste and grass clippings to the pine shaving and mixing all in dirt, will give a very useable compost. Plus the vegetable waste seems to attract a lot of worms and other insects to break down the whole pile.

 

[CluckerFamily]

Do you know how long the compost has to sit before you can use it in the garden?
I read that you have to let it sit for a year because the chicken poop could kill or burn the plants. I found this a little outrageous considering I free-range and the chickens poop in the garden but not all in one area. How long do you let your compost sit before adding it to your flower or vegetable garden?

 

[Tonyroo]

If your compost has the right balance of moisture and heat, plus regular turning over. It's possible to use it in 3 to 4 weeks. It needs to look dark and smell slightly sweet.

As for fresh chicken poop I do use it in my potted tree, potted flowers, and vegetable bed. The poop isn't touching the plants and trees, just laying next to it. And WOW, what an amazing transformation on the condition of the plants and trees. There so vigorous, unlike when I used processed fertilizer that stuff made it hard and took a while for plants to utilize it.

If you do use fresh chicken poop, make sure there's no pine shaving in it. You will see the difference in your plants or trees fairly quickly.

 

[CluckerFamily]

If your compost has the right balance of moisture and heat, plus regular turning over. It's possible to use it in 3 to 4 weeks. It needs to look dark and smell slightly sweet.

As for fresh chicken poop I do use it in my potted tree, potted flowers, and vegetable bed. The poop isn't touching the plants and trees, just laying next to it. And WOW, what an amazing transformation on the condition of the plants and trees. There so vigorous, unlike when I used processed fertilizer that stuff made it hard and took a while for plants to utilize it.

If you do use fresh chicken poop, make sure there's no pine shaving in it. You will see the difference in your plants or trees fairly quickly.

Thank you so much!!

 

[Tonyroo]

The compost I have is mainly used as a soil amender it's low in nitrogen.