Using raw chicken manure on the garden

[Courtney Jane]

Hi guys!

I recently got my chickens and know that manure is good for the garden so I’ve been putting it straight from the coop, on to my vegetable patch and fruit trees (Passionfruit, citrus, rhubarb, corn, potatoes ect). I was then informed that you should compost it first or it can ‘burn’ your pants. I’ve been applying it straight on the garden for a couple months now and haven’t had an issue. Anyone else have any experience with damaging their plants from un composted manure? Wondering if I should just continue what I’m doing and see what happens or if I should start composting it?
Thanks!

 

[N F C]

I don't have experience with adding the manure straight to the garden as I heard it was too "hot".

How about I move your post over to the Gardening forum so more gardeners will see your post and chime in?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi, welcome to BYC!

Adding your location to your profile can help others make the most relevant suggestions possible.

I would start composting it for several reasons..

Yes it can burn your plants... being too hot and adding too much nitrogen. This will vary according to how large your garden is, how many birds you have, and maybe even how much precipitation you get.

But also... eventually you will be eating the fruits and such... raw feces could make you sick.

I also would not consider chicken droppings as a complete feed for your plants... as I'm sure it may be heavy in some nutrients but missing in others. So composting it with your other fruit, vegetable, and yard waste would *probably* give you the best overall results.

Since chicken math bit me hard, I had to arrive at the decision that chicken dropping are NOT garden gold... and started sending most of it off my property to the dump. Let's be real, I was going through 100# or more per week of chicken feed with only 1 acre and that does not include my other animals.

Good luck!

ETA: We get 40-100 inches of rain per year in my location.

 

[getaclue]

I've heard many gardeners recently de-bunking the belief that chicken pooh is too "hot". We put it in our garden, and have never had any problems. We use horse manure too.

 

[Courtney Jane]

I don't have experience with adding the manure straight to the garden as I heard it was too "hot".

How about I move your post over to the Gardening forum so more gardeners will see your post and chime in?

Thank you! I didn’t not see the gardening forum, silly me!

 

[ShannonR]

I have killed some plants by not composting chicken poo enough. If it is diluted enough with straw or something then it might be okay. Chicken poop is really high in phosphorous so be careful of creating a nutrient imbalance. Also yes, for food plants you really should compost it first.

 

[Courtney Jane]

Hi, welcome to BYC!

Adding your location to your profile can help others make the most relevant suggestions possible.

I would start composting it for several reasons..

Yes it can burn your plants... being too hot and adding too much nitrogen. This will vary according to how large your garden is, how many birds you have, and maybe even how much precipitation you get.

But also... eventually you will be eating the fruits and such... raw feces could make you sick.

I also would not consider chicken droppings as a complete feed for your plants... as I'm sure it may be heavy in some nutrients but missing in others. So composting it with your other fruit, vegetable, and yard waste would *probably* give you the best overall results.

Since chicken math bit me hard, I had to arrive at the decision that chicken dropping are NOT garden gold... and started sending most of it off my property to the dump. Let's be real, I was going through 100# or more per week of chicken feed with only 1 acre and that does not include my other animals.

Good luck!

ETA: We get 40-100 inches of rain per year in my location.

Thanks for your detailed reply! I have just updated my location so thanks for that.
I never thought of the raw manure on edible plants making me sick but I guess it’s a fair point. I only have 3 birds so there’s only a small amount of manure going on at a time so it’s not like I’m dumping wheel barrows full of it on there so hopefully is not doing any damage. I do compost my food scraps and such so I could always add it in there but the compost takes so long to break down so I like throwing the manure straight on the garden in between waiting for the compost to be ready.

 

[Courtney Jane]

I have killed some plants by not composting chicken poo enough. If it is diluted enough with straw or something then it might be okay. Chicken poop is really high in phosphorous so be careful of creating a nutrient imbalance. Also yes, for food plants you really should compost it first.

Thanks for that! I only have 3 chickens so I think in the small amount I’m using it shouldn’t do any damage? If the plants aren’t liking it what signs will they start showing?

 

[ShannonR]

Thanks for your detailed reply! I have just updated my location so thanks for that.
I never thought of the raw manure on edible plants making me sick but I guess it’s a fair point. I only have 3 birds so there’s only a small amount of manure going on at a time so it’s not like I’m dumping wheel barrows full of it on there so hopefully is not doing any damage. I do compost my food scraps and such so I could always add it in there but the compost takes so long to break down so I like throwing the manure straight on the garden in between waiting for the compost to be ready.

I understand the time it takes to compost being an issue. But actually, the chicken manure will speed up the process by quite a bit!!

If you insist on using it uncomposted on the plants, try mixing it with straw (if it isn't already) and side-dressing or mulching between plants with it instead of direct application.

 

[JedJackson]

I agree with Eggsited. Hot manure might work as a mulch, but you're risking E coli and other bad bacteria splashing onto your fruit/produce, and it can burn young roots, especially if it is dug into the earth where roots can reach it. Far better to compost the manure, whether you add plant matter or not. A tumbler can greatly speed up the process of composting, as can a handful of bone meal or compost starter.