Manure

[Shannon_87]

What do I do with all the chicken manure from the coop if I don’t need compost? I don’t have a garden. I have 3 acres. Just been putting it in a pile in a corner of my property.

 

[addctd2plnts]

Layer it with layers of grass clippings, shredded leaves, pulled weeds, and make a marvelous compost pile. We have horses and ducks, and after a year, we use the compost in the garden, or as mulch around the plants. It's worth its weight in GOLD!

 

[Percheron chick]

If you have 3 acres you have way too many uses for chicken manure. Lawn, trees, shrubs, flower beds, pasture... All need their nutrients replenished. Having it sit in a pile and mellow is perfect. Use it!

 

[aart]

Do you have any neighbors, friends, family nearby that garden?

This is what I do, for 9 years now.
I fill kitty litter buckets from my cleaning of the poop boards and deliver them 3 at a time,
they empty, hose out, and return buckets.

 

[NatJ]

Regarding sheet or pile composting - I think you'd want to cover the manure with a carbon of some sort (dried leaves, wood chips) to keep flies away.

For a pile, probably.

For thin layers, it would depend on the climate.
In hot, dry weather it might dry so fast the flies are not interested.
In really rainy weather, it might wash into the soil so fast the flies are not interested.
In below-freezing winter weather, there will be no flies until it thaws in the spring.

For weather that is not any of those extremes, I agree that flies could be an issue even with layers spread thinly on the ground, unless they are covered with something.

 

[Boise-girls]

For a pile, probably.

For thin layers, it would depend on the climate.
In hot, dry weather it might dry so fast the flies are not interested.
In really rainy weather, it might wash into the soil so fast the flies are not interested.
In below-freezing winter weather, there will be no flies until it thaws in the spring.

For weather that is not any of those extremes, I agree that flies could be an issue even with layers spread thinly on the ground, unless they are covered with something.

I was wondering about hot, dry situations. I was watering parts of the chicken yard last year to help the grass survive and to make the ground more welcoming to yummy worms, etc. Kept the poop picked up, but still more flies than I liked.

However, I didn't add water to the covered run very often, so it was pretty dry and there were minimal flies. I didn't really put that together till now!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Do you have any neighbors, friends, family nearby that garden? I used to bring some to my mother in law for her compost pile.

 

[NatJ]

What do I do with all the chicken manure from the coop if I don’t need compost? I don’t have a garden. I have 3 acres. Just been putting it in a pile in a corner of my property.

You could do "sheet composting." That basically means to spread it on the ground and leave it to decompose No piling, no turning, no need to add other ingredients.

If you want it to just "go away" so you don't have to think about it, that's probably the easiest way.

A pile or thick layer kills everything underneath. A thin layer lets trees or grass or other plants keep growing, and they will probably grow even better because of the fertility it provides. Earthworms and other natural causes will eventually work it into the soil. Just spread it in another spot each time, so you don't overwhelm one area. (You can spread it next to the previous spot, but don't keep piling it deeper and deeper in one place unless you want a semi-permanent pile.)

 

[Boise-girls]

Regarding sheet or pile composting - I think you'd want to cover the manure with a carbon of some sort (dried leaves, wood chips) to keep flies away.

 

[Percheron chick]

Holding it for 2+ months would be ideal. I'm in the "don't make my life any more complicated" camp and go directly to the pasture. Horse not chicken manure. Chicken is too valuable for the garden come fall. It gets spread as thin as possible preferably before a rain or snow and it will melt into the ground. If your ground is N deficient, you will have bright green patches where the manure is spread after a rain. Rake it out in the drip line of trees leaving about 3' from the trunk. Has helped my pine trees with drought stress.