What type of soil should I use?

[HJSmith]

Our chickies are 2 weeks old yesterday, so I know they will not be out among the plants for a few more weeks at least, but I am trying to plant some just for them.
For the past few years we have grown tomatoes, basil, oregano, and marigolds in containers in the backyard. We have to grow everything in containers as the ground on our entire street is clay and kills almost everything we, and others, have tried to plant. This year we decided to expand and planted even more of our few usuals and added some blueberries and blackberry bushes, strawberries, lemon, lime, peppers and carrots. I am also planning on using a couple of those plastic kiddy pools to plant some things just for the chickens and have those be the only containers around the yard they can get too (the rest of our containers are now up on our deck) In their "gardens" I am planting squash, cantalope, marigolds, lavender, coneflower, nasturtiums, and maybe comfrey.
My issue, is that I have read you cant use any potting soil around the chickens, such as the miracle grow potting soil, because the fertilizer mixed in is harmful for the chickens. And we have just started composting, so I dont have any ready. What do I use for soil then?? Is there a special type I can get at Lowes or Tractor Supply that will be good fo rthe plants and the chickens?

 

[donrae]

You should be able to find a generic potting soil with no added fertiliser. Just ask at the store.

 

[lazy gardener]

Why not use garden soil. When you buy potting soil, be sure it doesn't have any perlite in it. chickens will engorge their crops on that stuff.

 

[A-K-A]

ditto what donrae posted.

Our ground here is a red dog hard compacted soil when dry. We are constantly adding manures and compost and shavings from the goat and chicken pens. Some day it might look like a real garden. . For now the chickens stay cooped. Still we think about them free ranging or in tunnels before we add to our garden soils. The potted stuff is far from their reach.

 

[lazy gardener]

Good luck finding any potting soil that hasn't been amended. I looked for some last year without any luck. And, don't bet that any store employee will have a clue. It was a joke trying to talk to them. They just told me what I wanted to hear, and when I looked more carefully at the labeling, and found the added stuff, they just gave me the dumb "nobody's home" look.

 

[HJSmith]

Good luck finding any potting soil that hasn't been amended. I looked for some last year without any luck. And, don't bet that any store employee will have a clue. It was a joke trying to talk to them. They just told me what I wanted to hear, and when I looked more carefully at the labeling, and found the added stuff, they just gave me the dumb "nobody's home" look.

What did you end up using instead?

 

[A-K-A]

Good luck finding any potting soil that hasn't been amended.  I looked for some last year without any luck.  And, don't bet that any store employee will have a clue.  It was a joke trying to talk to them.  They just told me what I wanted to hear, and when I looked more carefully at the labeling, and found the added stuff, they just gave me the dumb "nobody's home" look.

See alot of that look at the Box Stores

 

[wyoDreamer]

I mixed my own soil when I lived in Wyoming - 2 bags topsoil (which seem to be some sand and a lot of wood compost), 1 bag of manure compost, 1/2 bag of peat moss and 1 bag of mushroom compost. Sprinkle in some bone meal. I used this for potato bags and it worked great. Loose texture, holds water without being too wet, and a lot of nutrients. Where I lived the soil had very little to no organics, it was sand/clay, had about 1/2 to 1 inch of rotten granite on top and had a lot of rocks.

 

[lazy gardener]

I gave up. For potting soil, I use Pro Mix. It has the anti-fungal bacteria added to it, so helps to prevent damping off. It does have perlite, but from my research, it doesn't sound like it's such a nasty thing for chickens to eat. I was trying to avoid the silica gel that holds water in the potting soil, and the fertilizers. For my current use, fertilizer is ok.

 

[Tomahawk]

Our local nursery sells potting soil by the yard. It is made with three different bark fines, sand and perlite. No other amendment. I added composted manure at a 3:1 ratio. I believe that they also sell it without the perlite. I paid $55 per yard.