what do you do with your poo?

[ccrow]

Straw might compost faster if you ran the lawnmower over it a couple times to chop it up?

I have thought of putting the poo/shavings in a bucket of water, so the shavings could be poured or scooped off, then use the liquid as manure tea... haven't gotten around to trying it though.

 

[Guvnah]

I use last fall's leaves as litter on the floor of my coop. Neighbors dutifully bag up their leaves and set them out by the curb for me -- whether or not they know they're doing it for me.

(I also compost leaves directly. I use the leaves that people collected through mowing for compost, and those collected via raking for chicken coop litter. Yes, I start out with a huge pile of bags of leaves in November. I'm just about through using all of them. I might have to scrounge for something to use in October until the leaves start coming again.)

I also cut wild grass and alfalfa from the nearby fields several times a week and scatter it throughout the chicken run. Chickens eat the heads of the grass, and they gobble up the alfalfa. Usually a thin mat of grass and alfalfa stalks build up in the run. And that layer helps keep the mud down during rainy periods.

Once a week I rake out the coop, and then rake that whole pile across the chicken run, and it collects all the stuff -- including poops. It all gets tossed on the compost pile, and the worms do their thing.

Know what helps compost piles decompose more rapidly? Used coffee grounds. they're high in nitrogen, very fine, and they usually come very moistened, so it adds needed moisture to the process. At least in Colorado Springs, Starbucks packages up their used grounds (also with used tea bags and banana peels -- all good for compost) and leaves them for gardeners to take. I read somewhere that 40% by weight of a coffee shop's garbage is coffee grounds, so if they can reduce their trash by giving it away, it's a win for them, and a win for me!

When it's time to turn over the garden soil in November, pretty much the whole compost pile (except for perhaps the last 3-4 weeks worth of added material) is ready to spread and mix in. By springtime planting, the soil is nicely fortified and ready to grow!

 

[aart]

Every couple days I sift the poops out of roost boards sand/PDZ mix and put in covered kitty litter buckets for friends compost.

 

[beginnergirl]

Guvnah,
Love the idea of leaves! My first year of composting without chickens, everything took a LONG time to break down. So will see how leaves/straw/woodchips and coffee grounds break down.

Funny, I've put in a few shovels of my mostly year old compost into their "tractor" because it was loaded with bugs. The girls have eaten ALL the compost. Chickens are so interesting. Guess they liked it!

 

[Guvnah]

WHen I work in the garden, I have a red coffee can I drag around with me. I toss in worms, and at the end, I have a little feast for the birds. They know the coffee can. The chicken run is along side the garden, so they pace frantically the whole time I'm working. They know what's coming!

When I turn the compost pile, the critter-pickings are even more concentrated. Worms, grubs, beetles... (Getting worms for fishing is easy too!)

The chickens love it. The garden loves it. The fish love it...

Compost is the medium of LIFE!!

 

[aart]

WHen I work in the garden, I have a red coffee can I drag around with me. I toss in worms, and at the end, I have a little feast for the birds. They know the coffee can. The chicken run is along side the garden, so they pace frantically the whole time I'm working. They know what's coming!

When I turn the compost pile, the critter-pickings are even more concentrated. Worms, grubs, beetles... (Getting worms for fishing is easy too!)

The chickens love it. The garden loves it. The fish love it...

Compost is the medium of LIFE!!

But.......to reiterate the focus and title of this thread........'what do you do with your poo?'

 

[Guvnah]

Compost it!

 

[nchls school]

But.......to reiterate the focus and title of this thread........'what do you do with your poo?'  

It would seem that all but me have posted about compost piles. I use the poo directly from coop to flowers/bonsai/garden unless wet and then it's sun-dried first; always making sure the layer of "fertilizer" is thin and not directly on stems and leaves. No compost piles for me-been there and done that. Didn't like it.

 

[ChatKath47]

When we got Blondie and Jane, our neighbor over the back fence excitedly asked if we would mind saving the droppings and straw for her to put in her garden and her compost bin. We said we would, but thought the compost bin idea would be a great for our yard, too, so we got one and we "share the wealth" with our neighbor - there is NEVER a shortage of composing material here! We shovel out the contributions from the coop and chicken yard daily and change the straw in our small coop (perfect size for two chickens) once a week so there isn't any build-up. Since our two ladies are free-range in our backyard, we also have to shovel spots in the yard - especially on the patio! - on a daily basis and hose the cement and any areas that need the rinsing. This also helps keep the chance of odor build-up from occurring. I have found two chickens make MUCH LESS backyard mess and work than our two dogs did! Besides, when the sprinkler system kicks on, the donations to the lawn become liquid fertilizer, couldn't say that about the mush left behind by the dogs!

 

[Rogers BY Farm]

I use the deep layer method and straw. Last fall I scooped out most of the bedding and left it covered for the winter. In the spring I incorporated it into my garden soil. I also soak some of the manure/straw in a bucket of water and make manure tea for watering plants. It's all good and not too much work.:yiipchick