[tinyallotment]

Hi All

I have access to quite a lot of chicken poo. What can I do with it.

paul

[compostqueen]

It's manure!  Albeit, very powerful manure but if you store it then it will help your garden grow.  You can stack it or put it into your compost bins.  I kept mine separate, treating it like gold dust. I put it in builder's rubble sacks which made a rather nifty raised bed. The poo lasted 3 seasons, with just a top up of a grow bag, each spring at garlic planting time, or whatever.  You then turn the whole lot out and spread it on your garden or plot

When hen muck is fresh it's very strong and burns plants so you have to let it store for a while so it loses that potency

[Mrs Bee]

Absolutely as above.

Pure gold dust.

[barley]

all my chooks bedding and poops goes on the compost heap

magnificent stuff 

[tinyallotment]

Thanks guys

This weekend was the AGM for the allotment association and I was voted onto the committee. One of my duties will be to formalise our composting at the allotment.

We do have some great composting bins build by the association last year but people don't really know which bin they should be putting what in so I will attempt to A learn as much as possible about how to produce the best compost and B educate the other plot holders on compost and our system of composting whatever that will be. We already have a separate bay for the chicken poo.

paul

[mumofstig]

One of my duties will be to formalise our composting at the allotment.

Never heard of that  Doesn't each plot holder make his own how he wants?

[tinyallotment]

Hi Lesley

Some people do have there own compost bins and some don't. When I first started at this allotment there was a pile of organic material at the top of the field near the car park where everyone seemed to just dump stuff. I suggested that we build some large compost bays for people to put this stuff instead of just chucking it in the corner.

However, People are not experts on composting and don't really understand what and how stuff should be added to the pile. We get whole swede and massive brussels sprout stems and bamboos etc all chucked in on top of one another in a mess. Whilst this will break down it will take a long time so the plan may be to have labelled bays for different stuff and have a compost team that sorts it out once a week or whenever they have the time.

paul

[compostqueen]

There are plenty of free booklets on composting.  I think we got a box full from recycle now.  Your local county council recyc team will have literature i feel sure.  There will be roadshows and such that you can attend.  You can even become a compost mentor once you know the ropes

[tinyallotment]

Thanks Compost Queen

I am going to ask on freecycle to see if I can get an old petrol mower to cut up the compost into smaller size to help it break down. We have lots of people with chickens so it will be good if we can get them to dump their bedding up there as well

We might even use chicken to help with the compost bays

paul

[Prod]

If you can separate as much pooh as possible from the bedding (that can go on your compost) put it in a large tub/dustbin with water in it, give it a stir and when settled after a few days (or longer if you can), skim off the water and you will have liquid gold fertilizer for free. Try using it on your lawn, even in winter, and you will be amazed. I am lucky as I have a field so I have more room to keep my chickens and stuff so I don't bother separating the bedding/pooh. I have 2 dustbins and I empty it in there and periodically 'scoop' it out and sieve it. The liquid goes into a plastic carry tank and the residue goes on the compost.  Some of my flock are Buff Orpingtons and they have enormous droppings so I pick them up with a pair of tongues and drop them straight into the mixture. God  how undignified I have become in my retirement.  All my birds, including the ducks, go into their coops when I say 'bed, bed', I am trying to see if I can train them to do their doings in the bucket to save me having to keep bending down an picking it up!!

[barley]

If you can separate as much pooh as possible from the bedding (that can go on your compost) put it in a large tub/dustbin with water in it, give it a stir and when settled after a few days (or longer if you can), skim off the water and you will have liquid gold fertilizer for free.

Hi Prod

would it be ok to put straight onto veg plot or do you think it would be to strong ?  I was thinking tomatoes are always up for a good feed

my girls poop in the nest boxes at night and I clear them every morning so easy to gather lots of poops 

[Tenhens]

We've got 11 hens and their 'doings' go in the compost bin with everything else.  Have not heard of communal composting before, have made our own and as is frequently the case , you never have enough so sharing out is not an option. Is there not the potential with 'shared' that some may take more , at the expense of others?

Very intrigued by Prod's poo concoction, how much would you put in a plastic rubbish bin , and ideally how long do you leave it before using. Besides grass , what else can you use it for? 

[Nikkithefoot]

I add my girls waste to my dalek at home complete with straw. I add in the veg peelings etc. Over the last 3 years I have ever actually filled one dalek as the chicken poo acts as an accelerator to the composting. Prior to my girls I had 3 daleks on the go.

In summer I mix the poo with water and use on my tomatoes and greenhouse crop ............makes a huge difference.

[8doubles]

Some of my flock are Buff Orpingtons and they have enormous droppings so I pick them up with a pair of tongues and drop them straight into the mixture. God  how undignified I have become in my retirement.   

Eeeeeeewwwww !

I used to line the coop with newspaper it gave the hens something to read at night, and went on the compost heap clean out time !