[rachelsco]

i was wondering which is best to grow my potatoes in.  i can get hold of large amounts of both, the  horse poo is safe to use, no nasties in it.  is one better than the other generally?

what do other allotmenteers use...

any advice welcome
thanks rachel

[stompy]

Im not sure but i think that chicken poo can cause scab on potatos!

Someone more in the know will come along soon and prove me wrong 

[sion01]

Im not sure either but I think that ckicken poo will be stronger stuff as it also contains the chicken wee(the white bit in the poo).
I've checked my old book and that says chicken poo is 3%nitrogen2%phosphate6%potash farmyard manure (horse manure isn't listed) 0.5%,0.25 and 0.5% but as with all organic fertilizer it will vary.Poultry poo is medium acting and farmyard manure is slow acting.

Why not get the best of both worlds and mix the 2 together.

[Kleftiwallah]

Horsey pooh for your spuds and chick muck as an accelarator in your compost.   Easy peasy.       Cheers,     Tony.

[Trillium]

For spuds, I'd go with horse poo. Chicken poo is just too strong and high in nitrogen for potatoes which don't need excess top growth that chicken poo will give them.

[leeks r us]

horse pooh wins over chicken pooh every time for me, ye have got to be careful with chicken muck it can carry some nasties if its not heat treated.

[rachelsco]

thanks for your replies, i think i will stick to the horse poo then.  is there something that prefers the chicken poo though?  the man who lives next to my husbands son has f/r poultry and has a manure heap that is 15 years old, and looks just like compost, lol, it seems a shame not to use it.  what about squashes and brassicas, any good for them?

[Trillium]

I find chicken poo excellent for fruiting bushes, chard, lettuce, sweet pepper and toms. And because chicken poo is so rich, you'll need an easy hand spreading it out.

It's also great for side-dressing plants through the season.

[Salmo]

I would use horse manure for spuds. It will provide more organic matter to help soil structure long term. Horse manure does tend to contain a lot of grass seeds which can be a drawback.

If the chicken manure has been in a heap for 15 years most of the nitrogen will probably have been washed out or evaporated as ammonia. Why not use it the same as you would chicken manure pellets as a top dressing for things like brassicas or onions.

[rachelsco]

thank you everybody for looking at my post and for your replies.
i will now stock up on horse muck, and use the chicken poo like pellets around my fruit bushes and feed my onions and brassicas with it.