Manure question

[galanie]

Fred's Hens :

Yes. You can put raw manure on now through the end of the year. All State Ag Extensions say to limit raw manure if planting is to begin in 60 days.

x2​

 

[Fred's Hens]

http://umaine.edu/publications/2510e/


This is one of dozens of similar guides published. I just find this one easy to read.

 

[darkmatter]

I compost my chicken poo in place in the Coop with a sub-ground level deep litter composting pit. I only clean it out once a year for my Garden---------been doing that for a couple decades now. You should see my Garden produce. What was once thin weedy clay soil is now rich deep black loam.

 

[lorain's fids]

Fred's Hens :

http://umaine.edu/publications/2510e/


This is one of dozens of similar guides published. I just find this one easy to read.

Thanks for posting that link.​

 

[cobrien]

Quote:
I have a small city lot and 6 chickens. I have 2 - ~ stackable compost bins (roughly 3'x3'x3' to 4'x4'x4'). I put all of my veggie scraps in there along with chicken manure, yard waste, etc. We generate a lot of veggie scraps and yard waste, and we harvest every chicken poop pile we can find on a daily basis. I have never had too much compost or chicken poop relative to the available space in the bin or in my yard/garden. The volume of poop in its fresh form is nowhere near the volume once it is composted. Once I fill one bin I let it sit for 3 months or more and I start filling the other bin. I harvest the full compost bin about 2-3 times per year. I could easily accommodate twice the amount of chicken manure I get. So, I don't think poop volume is necessarily an issue unless you want dozens of chickens!

If you get comfortable with composting the manure I really recommend trying it out, I don't think you will have a space problem even on a small lot.

 

[Barnmaradotte]

my city encourages people to put their chicken poo In the yard debris bin. but my city is greener than most. so look into it before if you decide to. I do it. or put an as on craigslist and its gone in minutes.

 

[gale65]

Fred's Hens :

http://umaine.edu/publications/2510e/


This is one of dozens of similar guides published. I just find this one easy to read.

that wouldn't make me feel more comfortable about using it.

Ensuring that your compost pile reaches a temperature of 140°F will further reduce the risk.

I wouldn't want to take my pile's temp to make sure but I wouldn't feel confident it was hot enough unless I did.

The risk of contamination is greatest for crops like radishes, carrots, and leafy vegetables such as lettuce, where the edible parts touch the soil. Washing with clean water and peeling will remove most of the pathogens that can cause illness. Fully cooking the vegetables will kill any remaining pathogens.

How do you peel lettuce? What about people who like to eat their lettuce and radishes raw (doesn't everyone?) Also don't most people eat some raw carrots too? Fully cooking any of these isn't practical (the carrots, maybe, but personally I can't stand the taste of cooked carrots).​

 

[Avonlea22]

A few have already mentioned Craiglist, but I'm going to put another vote in for that as well.

A couple of years ago I was looking for chicken manure for my garden and found some on Craigslist. I don't have chickens yet, so thats why I was looking. I actually paid for it (but it was reasonable). Lots of people want the stuff, so just post away. Make them bring their own continers if you don't want to deal with it.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Gale65, we understand your phobia prevents you from considering using manure. Understood. The OP asked some basic questions and others are responding.
There's no point in discussing the reality of germs in the natural order of life on this planet. No point in saying that germs are just a part of a biological existence and serve an many essential functions. They are on every surface, in the air we breathe and everything we tough.

You don't need to use the manure in a productive way. I would never attempt to force you to do so, nor belittle your situation. But as a professional organic gardener, composting is an essential part of how we accomplish our goals of not using chemical pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers. Chicken manure is essential to what we do. It is not essential to you. Wishing you the very best.

 

[tsiecz]

When composting your return on on lets say a full compost bin is probably around 1/3of the bin. The reason you compost the CM is that fresh chicken poo is very high in nitrogen. If you put it in your garden it will burn the plants. What composting does is build up heat and breaks down material.The heat it generates usually kills weed seeds and harmfull pathogens.The more you turn your compost, the more oxygen you add to the pile. the faster those materials break down. High nitrogen materials IE, Chicken manure/grass clippings create heat, the brown material( hay, strw leaves, wood shavings) are the carbon and when they go through the heat cycle you have finished compost. It balances out into a very good fertilizer for you soil. I have three compost bins going now and it amazes me the amount material these thing eat.I packed them to the top in the spring and add things all summer long and when the composting is finished I have less then 1/3 of a barrel. Land fill wise, I would say 5 large garbage bags of material will compost down to less then one bag of compost. I just started with chickens and cant wait to get the manure in the compost bins.I used to get horse manure.Its Black gold in its finest natural form.