safe compost

[imasnot]

i have 12 chickens and 1 turkey,(all babes still) i have read turkeys cant have oyster shell, i am wanting to go organic dirt in my garden, much of the ingredients in store bought compost has oyster lime? or oyster azomite for ph balance. would that be okay. they will not technically be in my garden but if they ever did i want to make sure they are safe.

 

[dheltzel]

I give my turkeys oyster shell all the time. Turkey hens probably need it more than chickens, their eggs have a lot of calcium to get those hard thick shells.

 

[Torch404]

Azomite has nothing to do with Oysters and is safe. Lime also has nothing to do with oysters, mixed in soil it would be safe by it's self it would not be. Oyster shell is safe.

 

[imasnot]

Thank you, I have read in several places it was not safe, but I tend to believe you more if you feed it without issue.It's hard to find information for turkeys, unless you are growing for meat. we intend for him to be the watch dog, (I say him, because I don't want to ginx it, lol)

 

[Ridgerunner]

Growing chicks or poults, chicken or turkey, should not have excess calcium. Excess calcium can damage their internal organs. Laying hens, chicken or turkey, need excess calcium for the egg shells. A traditional way to take care of this in a mixed-age flock is to offer oyster shell on the side. The chickens or turkeys seem to know enough to self-regulate. If they need it they eat it. If they don’t need it they don’t eat enough to harm themselves. I’d like to know the reason they gave that oyster shells are harmful to turkeys. I suspect it was a warning against excess calcium, not just about oyster shells and maybe to not depend on oyster shells as grit. Oyster shells do not work as grit. Partly that’s because it is kind of soft but mainly that the acid in their digestive juices dissolves it.

Your garden plants need some calcium, not a lot but some. Calcium is required for the plants to grow right and especially for things like tomatoes to make good fruit. The calcium in the compost you buy will not come from oyster shells. It will be in another form that your plants can use. The amount of calcium in your compost is so small that your turkey could not eat enough to harm himself if he tried.

I suggest you start your own compost pile and use chicken manure as an ingredient. There are just so many reasons a gardener needs a good compost pile. But especially if you have chickens that compost will be rich with calcium. Chickens do not absorb and use all the calcium they eat. Some of it is not used by them but passes straight through their system and out the rear end. Compost made with chicken manure as an ingredient is usually really rich in calcium which is a good thing.

 

[imasnot]

Thank you so much for the info Ridgerunner, the articles I read did state that oyster was to much calcium for turkeys, but I have been reading a bunch, and am finding more information like what you have stated. I am doing my own compost, but it's not gonna be enough just yet. Truly appreciate your knowledgeable reply!!

 

[lazy gardener]

There are also many ways to compost. Sheet composting, trench composting, lasagna gardening, and the Back to Eden approach, as well as deep litter in the coop or chicken run. SC, TC, LG and BtE methods put the compost right where it's needed: in the garden. And all save you the bother of carting the materials out of the garden to be composted, and then back to the garden as finished compost.