what to do with all the poop

[Groucho]

I have read that the chicken poop is very good for compost and use in the garden, that's logical to me but have been thinking about the life cycle of some of the worms and it seems like if I put it on the garden in spring and turn it under for a summer garden put a green crop for the chickens in fall and winter I am just completing the cycle of some worms. Now I have reinfected the chickens. Could this be so? How do you break the cycle? Thanks

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

The worm eggs are all over the ground regardless of whether you place some poo in your garden or not...just from the chickens walking the ground. So I'd not worry too much there about it...the one thing I have read is that for any poo of any animal- you don't want that applied to the land immediately before planting due to risk of bacteria getting on your produce- one place mentioned 120 days that I saw on internet.

So if you turn your poo in a few months before you till and plant then your veggies should be safer. Exposure to sunlight of the soil for one year or more is what I have read in the past, for what it takes to kill the worm eggs from roundworms. The following two websites give a time frame:

http://msucares.com/poultry/diseases/disparas.htm

http://poultrykeeper.com/general-chickens/worming-chickens

I don't know if using black or clear plastic over the garden area first would help to cook the surface soil after tilling in terms of worm infectiveness, but remember that the area around their coop will be covered in worm eggs too, so personally I wouldn't do it, but I am no expert.
http://www.ehow.com/how_8216486_use-black-plastic-sterilize-soil.html

You may want to do the Balfour method (have two garden areas and put the chickens in the other area not being gardened, then switch so the tilling and cleaning of weeds has been done by the chickens. Puts them on new soil each year.

Personally, I have noticed that once having had worms on my soil I now must deworm twice a year (and repeat at 10 days). I see the worms in the poo- there is no question as to whether I definitely have a problem or not. So that is my response and I just assume the ground is covered in worm eggs...sunlight will hopefully kill them off and I treat my chickens to save them at the time. I repeat as needed.

One buddy tells me that he knows people who have to worm every three months, being on nasty wet soil. Remember to toss eggs (I toss them for at least two weeks after a dose) as these wormers are off label for egglayers- there are no approved wormers for egglayers. If you sell meat or eggs then wormers may have an effect on your ability to sell meat or eggs. I don't know much about that.

 

[chfite]

If you compost the droppings, you should not have a problem. The heating and bacteriological activity of the composting should kill any eggs. Bacteria not withstanding, applying fresh chicken droppings to a garden will burn your young plants due to the high concentration of nitrogen which essentially dries the plants.

All things in moderation. My chickens work their way through the garden in the off season, but are closed out of the garden a month or so before planting. Whatever droppings are left behind from their visits don't amount to much in the overall scheme of things. After a month or so, all has dried out and mixed in with a vastly larger amount of garden soil.

I must say that simply because eggs exist in the environment does not necessarily mean that your chickens will pick any of them up or become infected. I don't fret about these things. My chickens forage daily; and live in a coop with deep litter. I don't have problems with worms.

I compost the litter, pine shavings and droppings, in a bin. This is a great adjunct to the vitality of the garden.

If you start with clean accommodations for the chickens, use healthy stock, and keep things in order, you should do well.

Chris

 

[FarmalI]

So I clean out my chicken house every two or three months, just depends on how many chickens I have at the time. A couple years ago i took concrete blocks and made a little compost bunk, and i put leaves, grass, coffie and tea gounds in it, black dirt from around the cows hay ring from the year before and the chicken litter. I try to turn it every so often do i need to worry about the worms...
I also spread the chicken litter over the garden almost year round, i stop wen i begin planting.

What is your all's views?