Do you use your chicken's poop as fertilizer?

[Eggcessive]

I have read about the 3 month rule not to put fresh manure on veggie plants, not only because of burning, but contamination of your veggies. If you clean out your coop say in March it would be okay by June I guess. That's why they say not to let chickens into your garden within 3 mo. of harvesting. I'm new to this but planning on using mine next season.

 

[ryan820]

Every situation is different and if you've never gardened in other places, then yes, you might burn your plants; however, in Colorado, the soil is nutrient deficient-- the chances of burning your plants due to Nitrogen overload is unlikely. With that said, I wouldn't risk it myself, but only because I know composting it first will yield a better additive to the garden in the end.

BTW-- chicken manure is some of the best for gardens so definitely use it.

My point of even posting a reply to this is to say that you can't apply a generalization to every situation without knowing what the differences of that situation are. The more fertile, lower-lying lands of the US will burn plants if fresh manure is applied-- that is not always the case elsewhere, though.

Did you guys get rain last night in Fort Collins? A heavy rog rolled through Parker... rog, for those wondering, is what I call a heavy fog that turns into a sort of rain. Love it! We never get enough rain here!

 

[imthedude]

Quote:
i loaded our garden with well-rotted horse manure a couple of months ago in advance of planting, but since soil almost always tends to be nutrient deficient here, i want to add more of the "good stuff." thus the reason for asking about adding stuff straight from the coop cleaning.

i had 0.14" in my gauge this morning. not a lot and certainly not as good as the 0.9" we got last thursday but better than nothing i suppose. i set out some broccoli, cauliflower, and more garlic last night and sowed some beets. good timing i guess.

 

[BarefootMom]

lets just say I have the greenest grass in the county! My grass has always grown faster than anyone elses around here because we are at the base of a hill and all the water runs off the hill. Plus we have a natural spring that runs under our front yard...all that and add the chicken and duck poop... Green Green Green!!

I use my rabbit poo for my garden. I have a huge pile behind the barn that I dump it in and then spread it out around my garden.

 

[Revill]

See post 482754 That's good stuff you got!

Revill

 

[al6517]

Quote:
It is mainly the Amonia levels that cause the most damage to plants if applied fresh to young seedlings. WTS I do agree about your statement regarding nutrient deficient soil, like Co we also have super poor soil here in Ok where all of our good stuff blew away in the 30's during the dust bowl. All we have is red concrete called soil LOL, so in order for my garden to even be considered workable I have to add many things over the years to have decent soil and large amounts of chicken litter is the best of the best. I have alot of chickens and never seem to have enough litter for the garden. I think good gardners whether it be flower or vegetable gardens will always watch and see how their plants react to the application of litter, if there are any questions in your mind you could always start by trying it on a few plants at a time and closely watch for any trouble. It is safe to say that when monitored correctly you can easily figure out what amount works on your gardens.

AL