What to do with all this poo??

[CluckyInKY]

First time chicken mom here. Our 6 girls are just at point-of-lay. I tried to incorporate the deep litter method in our coop, and I've decided that it's just not for me. Worked great- no foul odor or bugs- just isn't really my "thing".
My problems with deep litter:
-feathers are everywhere (juvenile molts)
-my daughter thinks flip flops are appropriate shoes for chicken chores
-I'm semi-OCD when it comes to my flock's health & wellness and I'm dying to get in there and give it a good scrub

My problem now is: I'm going to completely empty the coop of all bedding & I don't know what to do with it. I'm not into gardening (I've tried, but failed miserably), so I don't think composting is for me. What else can be done with the bedding/poo mixture? My husbands farm land is 10 feet from the coop, but it hasn't been harvested yet. Can I still throw it out there? Or does it have to be bagged up and put out with the trash?

 

[freesoul]

If your husband is a farmer he will know exactly what to do with that gold

 

[jennyf]

Not much help on other ideas, but re: farmland, there's s minimum 120 day period you're supposed to allow before application of chicken manure to anything you're going to eat due to potential for E. coli and salmonella. Can you use it at base of trees perhaps and let us break down or pile it up until after harvest?

 

[chicks n roses]

depends on the crop but since there will be some fresh droppings No do not add them. they can be used to fill holes ,as a berm,or what i did was to use it for mulch around trees .looked nice after a month u couldnt tell it was chik litter.! just remember the deep litter method can keep your coop warm in the winter asits decomposing releasing heat!
Goodluck and godspeed!

 

[trudyg]

How about starting a compost pile? You could make a ring of bricks (whatever--I just circle a length of fencing wire) and pile it all in there, then add your scraps to it. My chickens love scratching through it! I emptied out a nursery coop (16 babies on hay and wood chip bedding until they were big enough to go in with the biggies) and let it sit for a month, then made a hole in it and put in potatoes--best crop I ever grew, and I didn't have to dig, just open the wire circle and pull on the stems. I'm already planning to let the coop bedding accumulate for next years melons. Hardly any work as long as you get some rain.