How long to do I have to wait to use my girls droppings in the garden? It is mixed with pine shavings and I usually mix it with fresh dirt, and put some on the compost pile, and let it set for awhile. How longs should I wait before it's not too "hot"? How long should I wait if I just throw the shavings/manure straight from the hen house into the garden and turn it under? Also, any suggestions on how to stop my girls from picking on and eating one of the others? Her wing has a big hole in it, and I spray it with the purple wound spray and even keep her isolated during the night. If I let her stay in the coop with the others they eventually pin her down and start snacking on her. Thanks all the help. Sincerely, Chris
Hi, Chris! Welcome to BYC! It varies on how often you turn your compost amongst other things. Some say a year of composting, but then, not everyone turns their compost often. There again, I've heard folks say they park their tractors over a garden plot 90-120 days before planting time to fertilize and it gets turned under when they prepare the plot. I compost and get most of my references from those forums here: This thread is from the most knowledgeable composting folks I know http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/soil/msg0219110920876.html
I use it fresh all the time. Like any other fertilizer, the secret is in the application rate. Since it's very "hot" when fresh (in other words, high in nitrogen and salts), a little will do it. Mine is always mixed with bedding, which is mainly shredded oak leaves. So, I'd say a 5 gallon bucket spread evenly a few feet away form the trunk of a fruit tree, or a typical wheel barrow full spread over an area about 10 x 20 feet and then watered in. If it sits longer than a month and is exposed to moisture, it can be used a little heavier. To fully compost it, and use in unlimited quantities, or even as a growing media, it needs to sit for at least six months, and probably closer to year, depending upon the type of bedding used and the climate conditions.
I put mine straight into the garden. I tractor most of my birds so this is usually brooder bedding which is a mix of manure, spilled feed, and pine shavings. Usually they are turned in, but occasionally I use them as mulch if they are more shavings than anything else. If the plants are producing things that are to be eaten raw, especially if the edible parts are near to or in the ground, then you want to put them manure down at least ninety to one hundred twenty days before harvest to give it time to decompose.
