[toptonk]

Got hold of quite a few sacks of chicken manure,ive never smelt anything quite like it in my life :x What i wanted to know was how do you use it,i was told it needs to be watered down and used that way, instead of being used like you would horse manure. :x any ideas on the best way to make use of it, :roll:  :roll:

[WG.]

Chicken manure is too fierce for most purposes.  I suggest only ...

1) use it on the compost heap in thin layers

2) feed it to your comfrey plants

[beansticks]

Hi, i have only ever used the pelleted stuff you buy in the shops etc,however i use it as an accelerant in my compost bins,but only a sprinkling at a time every few layers,i also place a sprinkling at the bottom of my bean trenches,and a general sprinkling on top of the ground where my brassicas are going to be,others will probably have other uses.

[WG.]

ive never smelt anything quite like it in my life

The part of the smell which really clears your sinuses is nitrogen being lost back into the atmosphere in the form of ammonia.  Trillium can supply the formulae for the chemical reactions going on if you wish - see Epsom Salts debate currently running on screen 2.  (I took one look at Schrödinger's equation and decided to switch my major to anything other than Chemistry!).

The main thing to realise for your chicken sh*t is that this means a loss of nitrogen and hence fertility.   If you've got a comfrey patch, get it on there as soon as you like.  It'll still lose some ammonia incidentally.

As soon as you have compostable material, whack some in there too.

[Trillium]

Hi Toptonk, I've used chicken manure in the past when I could get it. Rule #1 - never ever use the stuff fresh in the garden; it's so full of ammonia -what you smell - (God, I hope the science buffs aren't reading this one!) that it will burn everything. Period. I'd let it sit for at least 6 months or longer before applying it directly to the garden but in very small amounts. Strong stuff is chicken poo, a little goes a long way.
Otherwise, make a manure tea of it - a shovel full (okay, spade for you purists! :roll: ) in a bucket, fill with water, leave it somewhere (in low traffic area - it reeks) for a month or two, then pour off the liquid, which you'll dilute in more water to water the plants. A cover for the bucket is good as midges will breed in it, and if you have a dog, the stupid critter will drink it, as mine did. No harm at all to the beast (according to the vet) but it freaked me out. Manure tea is excellent for all leafy plants needing high nitrogen like brassicas, etc.

[WG.]

Another thought ... if there is sawdust or woodchip mixed in with the muck, then it ain't so good on the compost heap.  Okay on comfrey, or for the bucket suggested by Trillium.

No offence Trillium, but I don't think I'll be popping over to your place for tea!   :o  :o

Has anyone tried using compost tea as a foliar feed on organic potatoes?  Apparently, used regularly, it builds up a flora on the leaf which makes it less prone to attack by Late Potato Blight.

[Trillium]

No offence Trillium, but I don't think I'll be popping over to your place for tea!  

I can't imagine why not; I'll even put a dram in it for you - and some epsom salts to whistle it all away!      

[WG.]

I can't imagine why not

'Cos it must be 3500 miles away, thats why!  Do damned far for a cuppa tea.      

Now since there's a dram involved, I may need to rethink  :?

[Aunt Sally]

I've only got two chooks so I just chuck it on the compost heap.  No smell at all.  

This site has lots of info.  

[Trillium]

two chooks is nothing; wait until you're in a place with at least a dozen. Peeeee-uuuuuuw. You probably also feed yours better - more greens and such, while most egg growers use commercial pellets which result in pretty foul      stuff. The ammonia content from them is pretty sky high. I've been in commercial poultry barns and the reek knocks me to my knees. In Ontario, we have a LOT of these farms and the farmers refuse to wear breathing devices. needless to say, the rate of respiratory diseases among poultry farmers is climbing rapidly. Don't know about UK regulations but Ontario farmers must contain manure in concrete pits (of various styles) so it doesn't leech into creeks then rivers etc. Causes a terrible death for the waterlife.

[muntjac]

my last pics on here of my manure pile is all turkey n chicken chit .it doesnt smell at all any more its a year old .sweet smelling lovely pile ,, or was afore someone started stealing it , if you do get it leave it to stand in abin with any other stuff you come across , you dont have to worry about it if you have 3 bins ,you can shovel a ,load on top of other stuff as you fill the other bins

[WG.]

It only smells when decomposing anaerobically.  Aerobic decompostion is fine.

[shaun]

clears your nose though  

[Aunt Sally]

I add garlic powder (the stufff they sell to add to horses feed) to my chooks pellets and it deoderises their poos a treat

[Trillium]

I add garlic powder (the stufff they sell to add to horses feed) to my chooks pellets and it deoderises their poos a treat

There, I knew you must do something better for your chooks so that the 'results' don't smell.  
And Munty, anything that's had a bit of time to break down loses its odiferous potency.    It's the fresh stuff that'll singe the hairs of your nostrils, along with any crops the stuff touches.