I have a real crappy question.

[FlyWheel]

Will adding 'raw' chicken poop to the soil increase it's acidity? I ask because I have some newly planted azaleas and my soil is predominantly clay, which doesn't exactly have the greatest Ph value for these acid loving plants.

Thx.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi.

I know it will have lot's of nitrogen which could burn the plants. But not sure about ph.

You could try some coffee grounds, they would definitely work. If you don't drink it maybe someone you know does. Also throughout the year tea bags are great.

Sorry I can't be more help.

 

[lazy gardener]

Will adding 'raw' chicken poop to the soil increase it's acidity? I ask because I have some newly planted azaleas and my soil is predominantly clay, which doesn't exactly have the greatest Ph value for these acid loving plants.

Thx.

Do you know what your pH level is? We have a lot of clay here in Maine also, but our soil is very acid. Raw chicken poo will most definitely burn your plants..



This tidbit was copied from the following article.

Because of its tendency towards alkalinity, poultry manure is unsuitable for lime-hating (ericaceous) plants, such as rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, blueberries and heathers.


https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=297

I would suggest that you compost your chicken poo. How big is your chicken run? IMO, that's the perfect place to compost it. Simply dump the bedding removed from the coop when ever you clean it. Add any lawn clippings, garden or yard waste, kitchen waste, coffee grounds. Your hens will gleefully turn all of that into black gold. By having a compost pile to work in the run, you accomplish many wonderful benefits: Your soil will be healthier. Too much manure for an extended time will actually kill all of the beneficial organisms in it. By covering the soil, the beneficials will work on that material. It will feed them, and they in turn will feed your chickens. Your chickens will engage in normal chicken behavior which will cut down on stress related behaviors. Their gut flora will be much healthier b/c they are ingesting beneficial bacteria and fungi. They will have lots of beneficial insects to eat. (You may even see your feed bill go down.) A lot of pathogens will be eliminated. Including internal and external parasites.

 

[FlyWheel]

OK, good thing I asked. Poop = alkaline = bad.

Also nice to know that dumping the old coop bedding into the run was a good idea, because that's what I do with it. Kinda like the deep litter idea, but outside the coop instead of inside. Their entire run, 400 Ft2 now that I've rebuilt it, was built upon the mulched leaves of two Autumn's worth of oak litter to level out the hill it's built on (6 mature oak trees can dump a LOT of leaves!). It seems to drain quickly and even composted and packed down under chicken feet is still soft enough that they can easily make pockets to dust bathe in.

They tend to spend all their waking hours outside, using the coop just for sleeping and laying. So the trays end up catching most of the poop, Very little gets into the bedding. I'm thinking of making a large frame inside the run next year, netting off the top so the chickens can munch on the parts of grass and weeds that grow through the netting.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

OK, good thing I asked. Poop = alkaline = bad.

Also nice to know that dumping the old coop bedding into the run was a good idea, because that's what I do with it. Kinda like the deep litter idea, but outside the coop instead of inside. Their entire run, 400 Ft2 now that I've rebuilt it, was built upon the mulched leaves of two Autumn's worth of oak litter to level out the hill it's built on (6 mature oak trees can dump a LOT of leaves!). It seems to drain quickly and even composted and packed down under chicken feet is still soft enough that they can easily make pockets to dust bathe in.

They tend to spend all their waking hours outside, using the coop just for sleeping and laying. So the trays end up catching most of the poop, Very little gets into the bedding. I'm thinking of making a large frame inside the run next year, netting off the top so the chickens can munch on the parts of grass and weeds that grow through the netting.

I'm not sure if it's true. but seems like I remember reading that you had to worry about salts building up in the soil. Or was that if using chemical fertilizers... One problem with too many things in your head is sometimes it's hard to keep things straight.

@lazy gardener do you know if it's true?

 

[lazy gardener]

I'm not sure if it's true. but seems like I remember reading that you had to worry about salts building up in the soil. Or was that if using chemical fertilizers... One problem with too many things in your head is sometimes it's hard to keep things straight.

@lazy gardener do you know if it's true?

Yes. There are many kinds of salts. Not just the typical Sodium Chloride that we think of when we hear that word. At the risk of starting a huge war, I'm going to throw out my opinion that no matter the source of nutrient, N - P - K, whether it comes from a chemical formulation or a natural formulation, the soil/plants don't care where it comes from. Nitrogen is still nitrogen, no matter where it comes from. But, I do agree that when the nutrients are found in a natural form, there are micronutrients available, which may make the macronutrients more bioavailable. And a natural form may be slower release.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Yes. There are many kinds of salts. Not just the typical Sodium Chloride that we think of when we hear that word. At the risk of starting a huge war, I'm going to throw out my opinion that no matter the source of nutrient, N - P - K, whether it comes from a chemical formulation or a natural formulation, the soil/plants don't care where it comes from. Nitrogen is still nitrogen, no matter where it comes from. But, I do agree that when the nutrients are found in a natural form, there are micronutrients available, which may make the macronutrients more bioavailable. And a natural form may be slower release.

Good explanation about salts. Thank you.

Although I prefer to be chemical free I also agree that a plant does not care where the nutrients come from but do understand the other dynamics with the bio availability that you speak of. Well not completely, but the general concept.