What do I do with chicken poop if i don't have a compost pile?

[IamRainey]

When I clean out the coop it all gets dumped in the run, by the end of the day you can't tell.

I compost what I take out of the coop every day and I'm glad to have it but it's true that what they do in the run is gone the next day. They are very effective at their own stuff.

 

[jthornton]

I pick up the poop from the run each morning and put it in the compost bin and sometimes in the evening as well. If it rains well it just vanishes...

JT

 

[culturalinfidel]

I rake the coop out into the run. The girls mix it all in within 24 hrs. I let it build up in the run over time then scoop it out. Use some in the garden and neighbors chomp at the bit to come pick up the rest. Last clean out saw over a yards worth of woods chips/mulch/poop gifted away to neighbors.

 

[Killer Tomato]

If I have extra that I'm not using in my garden, I put it in empty feed bags, and give it to my neighbors. They practically fight over who gets my leftover chicken poop!

 

[Larry Rose]

If you don't have a compost pile, what can you do with the chicken poop you clean out from the coop?

Fortunately for me, I have a farm. I occasionally add it to a free pile of wood chips I got when a tree service was looking for a place to dump. But Pallets make a great cheap compost bin, for those that have the room. Stand them up on end and use Zip Ties to hold them together. I put everything that is compostable in there including chicken manure. I have never had an odor, but add a little lime if you do. Seems a shame to throw natures fertilizer away. Or get a plastic barrel and drill some holes in the bottom to let water out. Put poop in there along with some grass clippings garden clippings or whatever household garbage you may have. It will all rot. When you use it, use in moderation or it will burn your plants. Chicken poop is very strong.
And for those looking to build a coop, check Craigslist and F.B. Marketplace for freebies. I built a 12 X 12 Coop on one course of (Free) cement blocks on an old cement silo base. It is insulated and wired. I got free windows, a free door. Went the local lumberyard and bought bundles of damaged roof shingles for $5.00 a bundle. Found paint at the recycling center where they give old paint away. If you mix it all together, make sure NOT to mix oil base with latex. And it will always turn out to be gray! I bought lumber "Culls" at another lumber yard, for only $20.00 for a large bundle that filled my utility trailer! I even got 30 2X4 studs for free on C.L. Keep looking, Took me a year to get all my materials, but you should see what I built for very little money!

 

[BigATC]

Great thread and thanks all! I've been composting using the wood pallet box method but now I've some more good options!

 

[triplepurpose]

Big Secret: you don’t necessarily HAVE to compost manure first, especially if it’s already mixed with lots of shavings, straw, etc (which in most well-managed coops it tends to be). I have used manure-laced litter straight from the coop around heavy feeders like tomatoes and squash—they love it. Just use small amounts at one time. Or you can also spread “fresh” manure on your garden well before planting and let it break down in situ. If you are growing commercially, check regulations first; if you are growing purely for home use, use common sense (ie, don’t dump raw manure on a lettuce plant the day before you make a salad with it). Fertilizing ornamentals or fruit trees are other options. (btw IMHO throwing manure in the trash is sacrilege.)

 

[IamRainey]

But composting is so easy and, truth be told, it's a really interesting thing to do. All that good manure is going to make large quantities of humus nutritious and fertile.

I have 4 piles so when I sift out some beautiful earthy humus that smells like fertility I can look over and get an immediate reminder of the tree limbs and bones and groady stuff from the back of the fridge and the slimy dead leaves that made it and the miracle that transformed it. I get really excited about that. No kidding! ... possibly because I'm much better at compost than the actual gardening. BUT my marginal gardening attempts would be that much more disappointing save for my lovely humus.

 

[RustyBucketFarmGirl]

You could likely sell it on Craigslist. We put a posting for people to bring their own 5 gallon buckets and i filled them for 5$ a piece. And i have takers every time i list it. When i am in the mood to clean the whole coop i just repost it.

Or if you post it in the free section many people will come and haul it away. All of it!

 

[Larry Rose]

You could likely sell it on Craigslist. We put a posting for people to bring their own 5 gallon buckets and i filled them for 5$ a piece. And i have takers every time i list it. When i am in the mood to clean the whole coop i just repost it.

Or if you post it in the free section many people will come and haul it away. All of it!

Just proves that people will buy just about anything!