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.
Poultry manure has more of the nutrients plants need to thrive than steer manure does. On average, chicken manure and all poultry manure provides triple the nitrogen and double the phosphate steer manure does.
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.
Pig, dog, cat, and human waste should never be used in a vegetable garden. Cow, horse, chicken/poultry, sheep, goat, and llama manure are acceptable types of manure appropriate for use in vegetable gardens.
Sheep manure may just be the best poo in the world. It is a great soil improver and conditioner and contains lots of potassium that will strengthen the cell walls of your plants. Other cold manures include llama, alpaca, and goat, which are also low in nutrients but perfect for building up and improving your soil.
Ideally, the best manure for gardens is probably chicken, since it has a very high content of nitrogen, a need all plants have, but it must be composted well and aged to prevent burning plants. Chicken manure is a rich source of nutrients and is best applied in fall or spring after it has had a chance to compost.
In conclusion, for chicken manure composting, sole chicken manure or combination with cow manure could be suitable composting method to improve compost quality and minimize gases losses.
Chicken manure compost is especially beneficial for nitrogen-loving plants. Plants like tomatoes, peppers, leafy greens, cucumbers, squash, sweet corn, pole beans, and rhubarb all benefit from soil that has had chicken manure added to it.
Most experienced gardeners will tell you that the manure must first of all be composted before you can use it to feed your plants, and indeed there is some merit in this advice.
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.
Chicken manure should be mixed into the soil before planting, or it can be used as a top dressing for existing plants. With a little effort, you can turn your chickens into a valuable resource for your garden.
Chicken manure is a non-synthetic organic fertilizer that has several advantages. It's a comprehensive fertilizer, which means it contains high levels of primary nutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. It also contains important micronutrients for plant and grass growth, like calcium, magnesium, copper and zinc.
When properly used, manure eliminates the need to apply chemical fertilizer, since they both supply, the three major nutrients needed by plants: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Here is another article specifically devoted to fertilizers: Fertilizing Your Garden.
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.
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.
Broadcasting is the most common and practical way to apply poultry manure. Spreading may be followed by incorporation where possible; however, in a pasture situation, the litter requires rain or irrigation to wash it into the soil. Calibrate equipment to apply litter evenly across a paddock.
Disadvantages of Manure
The manures are reported to provide fewer nutrients to plants, and they are unable to provide high-yielding crops. Manures are slowly absorbed by the plants, and they add a lot of humus to the soil. They are made in fields, so transportation is difficult for manures.
Manure contamination can increase nitrate levels in ground water and cause bacterial contamination and fish kills in surface waters. Excess phosphorus can be contained in erosion or runoff from fields and accumulate in surface water impoundments such as ponds and lakes.
For best management practices, manure should be applied to a garden no later than 90 days prior to harvest of non-ground-contact crops such as trellised tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers; and no later than 120 days prior to harvest of ground-contact crops such as lettuce, strawberries and carrots.
Chicken poo is good for a hit of nitrogen to get those leafy vegies up and producing. Sheep poo is a good all round soil conditioner and is also easy to work with and spread. Cow manure has a relatively low nutrient content which can be great for native plants, which are sensitive to phosphorous.
When using chicken manure, a recommended level of 2 parts brown to one part green is recommended because of the high nitrogen content in the manure. Place all the materials in the compost bin or composter. (One cubic yard is recommended for the size of the bin). Mix and regularly stir and turn the composting material.
Most poultry manure is in the range of pH 6.5-8.0, being neutral to moderately alkaline.