Poop from the coop

[kimi988]

I'm up to my ears in chicken poop! What do you do with all the poop you clean from your coop? I've tried composting, but looking for other options. I don't want to spread it on the lawn and flower beds either. Right now I just keep filling buckets.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I live in the country so we just pile it. Are you country or city? Chicken poop needs to composted because it will burn your plants if put straight on.

 

[Sam Drummond]

You could give it away on craigslist. I am sure some people would be happy to pick some up.

 

[jonezjollyfarm]

My dog thinks chicken poop is treats want me to send him over? Lol

 

[aart]

I am fortunate enough to have folks who want it for their compost.
We swap/rotate 4 buckets, 2 at a time......they also buy eggs from me.
Otherwise I would probably just dump it out in the woods.

 

[Cheers2Ya]

Chicken poop needs to composted because it will burn your plants if put straight on.

How long does it take to compost chicken poop before it can be used in garden or young tree rows?

 

[lazy gardener]

Till it's finished. That's a question with an impossible answer, because there are so many variables: how much bedding mixed in with the poo, what kind of bedding, how hot is it composting? What is your N to C ratio. Are you keeping it optimally moist? A lot of folks put bedding on garden in the fall, and are fine to plant in the spring. I toss all of my bedding into the run, let it compost there, and then can put the finished compost into the garden as needed. This is a work in progress, b/c I built a new run last fall.

 

[aart]

Till it's finished. That's a question with an impossible answer, because there are so many variables: how much bedding mixed in with the poo, what kind of bedding, how hot is it composting? What is your N to C ratio. Are you keeping it optimally moist? A lot of folks put bedding on garden in the fall, and are fine to plant in the spring. I toss all of my bedding into the run, let it compost there, and then can put the finished compost into the garden as needed. This is a work in progress, b/c I built a new run last fall.

Doesn't that introduce fresh poop into the 'compost' tho?

Agrees.... hard to say how long, too many variables.

 

[lazy gardener]

Doesn't that introduce fresh poop into the 'compost' tho?

Agrees.... hard to say how long, too many variables.

Yes, it does. But in that outdoor environment with all of the active life in the soil, that poo and litter just melts into the soil. In the lower level of my old coop which is 3 years old, I have rarely harvested compost out of it. I just renewed the leaves a couple of weeks ago. Have been adding mountains of organic material to that 8 x 12 for 3 years, and it was down to a nice black silty compost, without any sign of the leaves, shavings, hay or grass clippings that had been added. When I let my flock out of their run for free range time, the first thing they do is stampede to that old coop for some quality dust bathing and munching.

 

[aart]

Quote: I guess you'd just have to pay attention to the ratio of fresher poop to fully composted materials when applying to the gardens.
The older and more active 'deep litter' the less risk of taking material from run to use in gardens.