disposing of chicken poop

[punk-a-doodle]

Rabbit poop is slightly different in that it is a cold manure (I'm sure guinea pig poop is too). That just means it can either be composted, or can be placed directly into the soil and on plants without composting.

 

[Mattemma]

I am a lazy composter and just make piles out of the way. The pine shavings/chicken poo was a great bedding for my plants after 6 months to a year. I dump rabbit and guinea pig poop straight into the garden area.

 

[peepacheep]

2x Mattemma!

I am also a lazy composter. As the garden beds wind down this time of year to about late March I dump the coop litter, old sand from the run and rabbit litter boxes directly on the garden beds. The beds are about 4' wide, compost is heaped until it starts spilling into the aisles, then I let the winter rains, mushrooms, and soil microbes go to work. Mid-May I dig down 12-18'' deep, set that soil from the hole aside, scoop the winter compost into the hole, put the dirt from the hole on top. This was the previous year's compost, prefect for planting vegetables in. I do this the length of the garden beds. The process takes a little longer with a flock of hens underfoot grabbing worms as fast as they can. They stuff themselves silly. If I do not have an empty garden bed in the summer coop litter is piled to the side, friends often take it home for their gardens.

Like punk-a-doodle wrote, rabbit compost is 'cool', it does not burn plants the way fresh chicken manure can. I scoop the bunny poop into a lidded 5 gallon bucket, add water and brew a gross compost tea for vegetable starts once they are planted in the garden.

Lots of ways to compost and it all turns into black gold!

 

[SillyChicken]

You can put just about everything but meat and dog pooh in the compost pile. veggie scraps, grass clippings, egg shells etc... you need some greens in with the browns (straw, pine shavings, leaves, coffee grounds). And it needs aerated (flipped around to get air inside the pile.) If it's steaming - its working!

 

[yolka doodle]

really great advice a BIG thank you to all of you. i will let you know how i get on

 

[mamagardener]

If you pile it up and it starts to stink, just add some dry leaves, grass or other non smelly waste to it.