Gardening with chicken bedding

[lazy gardener]

I will be sure to post a few pics within the next couple of weeks. I'm a techno idiot, so will need to wait for hubby to help me, and only want to post one set of pics, so... will wait until I get things set up to my satisfaction... perhaps at the end of this weekend if the weather cooperates. and if I'm not overly busy with my #3 grand child. I have her for 5 days... including driving her to/from school which is 1/2 hour away. Arielle: Wire worms are tannish to reddish brown, and perhaps a bit darker depending on their age. They're about an inch long, and crunchy, stiff. Grubs are usually white with a brown or black head, and are curled into a very tight C shape, and their abdomen is usually blackish b/c it is filled with fecal material. Their size varies from the size of a "?" to the size of your thumb. Millipedes are black, and have lots of legs, more curly than wire worms. Cut worms look like a fat naked caterpillar. They can be black, tan or green, depending on the species. Grasshopper eggs are about 1/4" long and you'll find them in a cluster about 1/2 to 1" under the soil. They are light to dark tan, depending on the developmental stage. I find observing the little things of nature to be absolutely fascinating. I was a very geeky child, and am now a very geeky old grandmother!!! Your best bet is to go on line and do a google search for insect pests, or get a good gardening book. Fascinating stuff!!! Last year you should have seen my chickens going wild over the many ant nests on my property. There's about a 2 week period where there will be clouds of queen ants rising up out of the nests and the ground will be covered with them. You can't walk across the grass without crunching them. I'd grab a shovel and open up the nests for the girls before the queens took flight. Hubby was none too happy about me turning our back yard into a moon scape, but the girls and I had fun!!!

 

[Arielle]

LOL, I can imagine all the pot holes!! GIrls would love such yummies.

I'm always curious and want to know more about things . . .

Weather--- iffy on saturday, weather rpts vary from down pours to passing showeres, and better on Sunday . All headed your way.

 

[lazy gardener]

It's amazing how many kindred spirits I've found on this thread!!!

 

[Arielle]

 

[gjensen]

I live in the midlands of South Carolina on the old coast line. A sand ridge with sand as deep as you care to dig.

The poultry bedding is an important part of my gardening. This sand consumes organic material at an astonishing rate. It takes a large qty to change the texture and stay ahead of the consumption. The poultry bedding is especially important to me for establishing a new patch.

I use deep litter in my main houses. When I clean out, I pile it up near my garden(s). I wet the pile as I make the pile. Within a day it stinks to high heaven, but it gets very hot. The smell goes away within a couple weeks, and is not near my house and yard. I flip the pile once per week, until it stops getting hot. I let this pile sit until it is finished or near finished. Then I till it in.

I believe that hot composting the poultry litter is an effective to "clean" it.

I use this composted bedding to mulch fruit trees etc. I put it under the "decorative" mulch, which in my case, is pine straw.

I also use it in my established gardens that are permanently mulched. I put out a layer and then top it with straw etc.

 

[lazy gardener]

How long does it take for a pile to cycle? (no longer heat up)

 

[lazy gardener]

How long does it take for a pile to cycle? (no longer heat up)

 

[chickkrzi]

I live in zone 8 (Central Texas) I feed my goats hay (coastal or rye grass) and what they drop on the ground I'll put under my roost. Then that goes into my compost pile . will stop adding to it in November. Then add it to my garden in march. For my watermelon cantaloupes I'll dig out a hole about 8th deep an about 1-1 1/2 ft wide and just fill with compost, then add my seeds then just let them grow.

 

[fosterfarms]

I live in eastern Idaho zone 4b. First time gardening first time raising chickens. I have a lot of leaves, grass clippings, and horse manure composting from last fall that probably won't be ready until next may. The plan is to let the chickens have their way with the garden this fall after harvest then cover the garden with the fall leaves and straw bedding after I run them through the chipper/shredder (the leaves and straw not the chickens). Next spring add some of the two year old compost, till it all in and plant. If this post is still going then I will update and let you know how it all goes. Love this website, anytime I have a question about my chickens I always find an answer on here.

 

[lazy gardener]

I'm in the same zone. Started my flock last spring. I have too many birds right now, still working on finding a good balance. (somewhere between 5 and 33!) I've cut back on the amount of feed the flock is getting (including the meat birds) and have noticed that the youngsters are doing a lot more foraging behavior. My favorite new plan is to sprinkle scratch on the many ant hills behind my house. Those ants don't stand a chance with 33 chickens rearranging their domes every day!