I have found a lot on the internet about poultry manure and gardening but their idea of "fresh" seems to be some kind of purchased version and I'm reading all kinds of warnings about residual antibiotics and medications in the feces.
I'm thinking about using actual chickens and turkeys in their tractors between rows and as treating ground before planting.
Does anyone else do this or can anyone point me to an informational site that discusses methods, issues and other concerns?
In particular, I'm wondering if I can use poultry manure in an existing garden between rows and how heavy the concentration can be? Is there a difference between chicken and turkey manure? Should I avoid using poultry manure on areas for particular types of crops or is it a pretty general kind of fertilizer?
I also have a situation which developed over the winter where the turkey enclosure now has a tremendous amount of manure in it. We had a lot of snow this winter and it was particularly cold so the snow just kept piling up and the turkeys would poop on top of it in layers. Today was so warm that it pretty much all melted off and now I have a thick layer of manure. Should I shovel it up and compost it or is it OK to let it get absorbed into the ground for a future garden plot?
Thanks for any advice. I have enough birds now that I will have plenty of the stuff and want to use it as best as possible.
I'm thinking about using actual chickens and turkeys in their tractors between rows and as treating ground before planting.
Does anyone else do this or can anyone point me to an informational site that discusses methods, issues and other concerns?
In particular, I'm wondering if I can use poultry manure in an existing garden between rows and how heavy the concentration can be? Is there a difference between chicken and turkey manure? Should I avoid using poultry manure on areas for particular types of crops or is it a pretty general kind of fertilizer?
I also have a situation which developed over the winter where the turkey enclosure now has a tremendous amount of manure in it. We had a lot of snow this winter and it was particularly cold so the snow just kept piling up and the turkeys would poop on top of it in layers. Today was so warm that it pretty much all melted off and now I have a thick layer of manure. Should I shovel it up and compost it or is it OK to let it get absorbed into the ground for a future garden plot?
Thanks for any advice. I have enough birds now that I will have plenty of the stuff and want to use it as best as possible.