An average dose for top-dressing is 150g per sq m (4½oz per sq yd) for most crops. However, it is better to under-dose than over-dose, as more can always be added later. For less hungry crops or lawns at risk of scorch, 100g per sq m (3oz per sq yd) may be preferable.
Proper use of manure in the garden can supply your plants with nutrients and help improve soil structure. Adding too much manure can lead to nitrate leaching, nutrient runoff, excessive vegetative growth and, for some manures, salt damage.
When using chicken manure dig in about 5 litres per square metre each year. Make sure that you dig it into the soil as much as possible when applying.
Benefits of Chicken Manure
Don't despair! Manure can be one of the greatest assets for a home gardener! Although chicken manure is too strong to be used raw on your flowers or vegetables, it can be composted and converted to “black gold.” If used without composting, it could damage roots and possibly kill your plants.
The answer is to use it as a soil amendment or fertilizer. However, raw chicken manure can burn and damage plants. It should be composted or aged prior to use. In addition, raw manure can contain pathogens that can harm people and animals.
The decomposition process typically takes six months if materials are a half-inch or smaller. At this time, you are ready to use the compost as natural fertilizer for your lawn and garden! Mix thoroughly composted material into garden soil 2-3 weeks prior to planting.
Blending manure into the top layer of topsoil will help encourage root growth and health because the manure is packed full of nutrients. The main nutrient released is nitrogen which is needed for plants and vegetables to grow in a sustainable manner.
Here again, processed manure in bags is different from composted aged manure. Bagged chicken manure can be applied any time.
Broadcasting is the most common and practical way to apply poultry manure. Spreading may be followed by incorporation where possible; however, in a permanent pasture situation, the litter requires some rain or irrigation to wash it into the soil but not enough to cause runoff.
Ideally, you want to let 'hot' chicken manure age for a minimum of 3 months, but preferably 6 months up to 1 year. If you use the hot composting method in a warmed climate or sunny area, you may only need to let the chicken manure compost age for 3 months since the manure breaks down more quickly into compost.
Poo can be a smelly problem but if you manage it well, it's a beneficial addition to pasture and gardens. Fresh manure can be used to make chicken poo 'tea' which can be watered around plants. The ratio should be about one-third manure to two-thirds water.
Plan on amending your beds with it annually. The strongest smelling manures are chicken and rabbit, while the mildest is from sheep. Sheep manure is also drier and easier to spread.
Early spring or late fall, when your garden is not actively growing and being worked, are the best times to apply aged chicken manure and composts. This gives the application some time to break down and work in before it needs to go to work for your new plantings.
Compost and manure are both great options for working into lawns, but manure's higher nitrogen content (especially chicken manure) gives it the edge over compost.
Chicken manure is fast-growing in popularity. That's because it is relatively high in nutrients when compared to horse and cow manure. Unlike cows, horses and even sheep, chickens have a much more varied diet, which makes their droppings highly valuable. It tends to be high in nitrogen and phosphorous.
Decomposition will be complete anywhere from two weeks to two years depending on the materials used, the size of the pile, and how often it is turned. Compost is ready when it has cooled, turned a rich brown color, and has decomposed into small soil-like particles.
Don't over fertiliser or manure. Apply nutrients in the spring just before growth starts. Avoid using manures and fertilisers in late summer or autumn where they may be lost over winter and pollute water bodies.
In a hot composting system, you heat chicken manure to at least 130 F for at least 15 days. The higher temperatures in such systems mean that the material breaks down more quickly and pathogens usually die at these higher temperatures too. This significantly reduces the risk of contamination.
Once your manure is composted, it is great for your garden, however. Chicken manure does not acidify soil: it tends to raise the pH. Actually, one study demonstrates that chicken manure is as effective as lime in raising soil pH (making it more basic rather than more acidic).