Using Chickens For Fertilizer?

[Raptor Chicken]

We decided to get serious about gardening this season and yesterday I tilled up a 8x55' plot, or at least broke ground. Still a lot more tilling to do.

Mrs Raptor brought up trying to use the chicken poop as fertilizer. We use straw in our coop so any poop we got would be mixed with straw.

Any reason to try or not try this? Advice?

 

[nuthatched]

It has to rest and compost for about a year so it doesn't burn the plants.

 

[ncomp]

Chicken excrement is considered a "hot" fertilizer, so you need to let it sit for at least 3 months before putting it on plants, or you'll burn them (with nitrogen). That said, it's an excellent fertilizer, once cool.

 

[Isabella6Storm4]

We add the poop to the soil in the fall and winter and then plant in the spring

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

We decided to get serious about gardening this season and yesterday I tilled up a 8x55' plot, or at least broke ground. Still a lot more tilling to do.

Mrs Raptor brought up trying to use the chicken poop as fertilizer. We use straw in our coop so any poop we got would be mixed with straw.

Any reason to try or not try this? Advice?

Chicken poo makes great fertilizer but you should compost it first for at least 6 months prior. It's high in ammonia (I think) so not great to begin with. I'm not entirely sure about it but I've heard great things about using worm farms in compost. Personally I'm lazy and just use bought fertilizer

 

[MysteryChicken]

It has to rest and compost for about a year so it doesn't burn the plants.

I've used fresh out of the coop poop, for fertilizer for the past few years, & haven't had plants burn. I've had a couple plants fry in the hot sun, before though.

 

[Acre4Me]

Beyond the above good advice, the poop still has germs in it when not composted. So, rain hits the ground with poop, and it gets splashed up onto the plump strawberry that you’ll pick after it rains, or other produce, some that is eaten raw. That’s the other reason to compost it first.

Rabbits…their poop is fine to add directly to the garden, it’s not “hot”, so it won’t burn the plants, plus nothing that makes humans sick. Their urine might be “hot” -I’m not sure.

 

[Raptor Chicken]

I've used fresh out of the coop poop, for fertilizer for the past few years, & haven't had plants burn. I've had a couple plants fry in the hot sun, before though.

Do you get just the poop or did you have any straw or bedding mixed in?

 

[MysteryChicken]

Do you get just the poop or did you have any straw or bedding mixed in?

Bedding is mixed in. Usually straw plus poop.

 

[esselstyn]

The carbon in the straw bedding will help balance the nitrogen in the poo. I use wood shavings and duck poo as mulch on plants and have never burned anything. Tilling the poo into the soil will have the same effect. That said, if you're worried about germs from the manure, composting first would be better.