Who uses their chicken compost?

[hemet dennis]

Right now, I am without chicken, so it has been bunny poo for me. I really like using that as it doesn't burn plants (it is a 'cold' manure so long as it isn't soaked in rabbit pee), and scattering them on the surface turns them into little time release capsules.

Rabbit manure is the best there is.

 

[redstarmama]

Right now, I am without chicken, so it has been bunny poo for me. I really like using that as it doesn't burn plants (it is a 'cold' manure so long as it isn't soaked in rabbit pee), and scattering them on the surface turns them into little time release capsules.

I never thought about them as time release capsules! I guess it' s time to get a rabbit...

 

[gickelvolk]

Agreed with the rabbit manure.

We use our chicken manure. It's worked into in the compost pile daily, and sets for a few months. We draw the compost from the bottom of the heap to spread in the garden.

Chicken manure MUST be composted otherwise it's just too "hot" for regular usage.

 

[chiques chicks]

Now if I'd ever get around to building bat houses and figure out a way to install poop boards.... I hear that's great fertilizer...

Not sure if I'dneed to compost it or not... Google, here I come...lol

 

[GardenerGal]

gickelvolk wrote: Chicken manure MUST be composted otherwise it's just too "hot" for regular usage.

While that is generally true, it's mainly if you use straight chicken manure. I use my "barn sweepings" directly on the garden beds, and while the mixture of poop, wood shavings, etc. does get warm, it never gets hot - either temperature-wise or chemically. I've been topdressing my gardenbeds directly with uncomposted chicken manure/bedding mix for nearly 20 years with never a problem.

In fact, manure mixed with soiled bedding seems to break down faster. When I topdress with it, the lower layer becomes rich brown soil in less than 3 months, and the upper layers show signs of rapid decomposition within a couple of weeks. Especially if we have lots of rain and mild weather. The soil organisms break it down quickly when we have those conditions.

 

[ooptec]

hey,

Yea, forgot about that. Heavily dressed my raspberries w/manure/straw mix, heavy enuf that kept the weeds from coming thru. Worked a charm.

Didn't remember partly because can't tell this spring.

cheers

 

[Red Barn Farms]

I always side dress my veggie plants with the chicken manure / pine shaving mix. I planted three tomato plants just last month and they already look great and are growing extra fast. These were very small plants when i set them out too.

The first is almost 3 foot tall.



These actually took a late spring frost and almost died but they seem to be doing rather well.



I only have 5 plants because I'm the only one in the family that likes tomatoes. Good for me

 

[GardenerGal]

RedBarnFarms,
Those 'mater plants look fantastic! And the topdressing of manure and pine shavings looks just like mine. It keeps weeds down as it enriches the soil.

 

[bruceha2000]

Hmmm, I wonder if horse manure mixed with straw from the stall works "as is" like chicken manure.
I have LOTS of 'pre-mixed' stall "leavings". The lady who was using the barn until last week picked up daily and totally replaced the straw every Saturday. Of course, a "unit" of horse manure is a LOT larger than chicken manure. Might still need to compost it before use if for no reason other than to let it decompose to a reasonable size. But then again, there is about a year's "supply" and the stuff on the bottom might already be broken down enough.

 

[hemet dennis]

Hmmm, I wonder if horse manure mixed with straw from the stall works "as is" like chicken manure.
I have LOTS of 'pre-mixed' stall "leavings". The lady who was using the barn until last week picked up daily and totally replaced the straw every Saturday. Of course, a "unit" of horse manure is a LOT larger than chicken manure. Might still need to compost it before use if for no reason other than to let it decompose to a reasonable size. But then again, there is about a year's "supply" and the stuff on the bottom might already be broken down enough.

Horse manure is a cold manure and can be put directly on plants.