Hmmm...What To Do With All That Chicken Poo?

A couple of days ago we had family over for Kennedy's birthday. We ate cake and ice cream and had a great time reminiscing about whatever. Well my brothers (Andy and Pat) and I have taken on the great hobby of chick raising. We all have between two to four week old chicks which means we're needing to get that coop ready. We were throwing around ideas for how we were going to design our coops when the discussion of chicken poop came up, I know that might sound disgusting, but it really is something to consider, especially if you have a garden. That's right, chicken manure is used for fertilizer. So I thought I'd do some more research. One of the blogs I get reads for came in today and much to my surprise, it was all about chicken fertilizer.

Here is the post from thegardenroofcoop.blogspot.com:

Q:  A friend told me that chicken droppings can transfer harmful bacteria.  He said not to use it for fertilizer.  Is he right?--Chris

A:  Great question Chris...  All animal manures have the potential risk of containing bacteria, but the key to using it as a fertilizer is knowing how to use it safely and correctly.  Manure from meat-eating animals, such as dogs or cats should not be used as a fertilizer because of the risk of transmitting parasites or diseases, but even chicken manure can contain pathogens such as E-Coli and Salmonella.

Image used by permission-Good Life Press

The Chicken Lover's Cartoon Book by Arnold Wiles

Chicken manure, however, is a sought after fertilizer for organic gardeners.  It's rich in nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), and when combined with straw or similar coop bedding it not only adds nutrients to the soil, but also organic matter.  Because of it's high nitrogen content, though, it needs to age or compost before it can be used as fertilizer. It's important to not add fresh or "hot" manure directly to the garden in the spring, otherwise you'll end up killing or actually burning your plants. Also, some studies have shown that it takes six months to a year before you can ensure that any pathogens are not present in the composted manure.  According to this study, conducted by the University of Minnesota, even bin composting, where the manure is maintained at a temperature between 130 and 150 degrees Fahrenheit for three days, is not a guarantee that all the bacteria has been destroyed.  

The safest practice is to either allow the manure to age for the recommended time or incorporate it into the fall garden soil.--Better yet, allow the chickens to free range in the garden at the end of the summer harvest.  They'll clean up the left over plants and weeds, scratch up the soil and leave their powerful "fertilizer" as an added bonus.  Then six month later, your spring garden will be ready to go!

This is something I'm going to start doing. I've got to do something with all that stuff!