[Salmo]

It is a good activator for compost heaps and if you can do so mix it with your other waste matter.

Chicken manure is high in nitrogen which is readily available to the plants. If you want to put it straight on the soil do so in the Autumn well before you plant. Rotovating it in will allow the worms to start work on it but do not cover or it will still be potent in the Spring. Better to leave uncovered to allow the Winter rains to leach some of the nitrogen out. Although of course this is bad environmentally as it adds to nitrates in the ground water. I agree with others that it should be confined to brassicas and other nitrogen demanding crops.

[Poolfield2]

I put woodshavings in my henhouse and last year against all advice I put the cleanings from the henhouse on top of empty beds over winter as a mulch and the onions and strawberries both loved it. I didn't put it on the bed for root veg or potatoes.

[Trillium]

I'm with grannieannie. I get a manure spreader load dumped in a corner in the fall. Its fresh stuff from the latest batch of commercial chickens gone to that deep fryer in the sky. The stuff is quite fresh and in the fall I heap it on then rotovate it in. Come spring its all ready to give me bumper crops. You wouldn't believe the size of my squash, and I had no idea borage could grow so huge, not to mention my 7 ft tall tom plants. My soil is loaded with worms now.

[Zippy]

I don't want to turn this thread into a moral debate but I would just like to say that I would never take any side product from a battery farm. Not only because of the way commercial units treat their stock, but also because of the chemicals the animals are pumped with every day which will be passed on in their droppings onto my plot.

No thanks!

[dizzylizzie]

well said Zippy!

[philskin]

But surely isnt it better to use this rather than wipe your garden out using manure contaminated with that ammo stuff , regardless of ethics after all i choose not to use weedkillers etc and i know there is nothing in the chicken feed as it is made locally

[SMD66]

what's 'ammo straw?'

[little sweetpeas]

I put the chicken poo in a big bucket or water tank and put lots of water in with it, leave it a few days and use it to water anything that needs nitrogen, really works well, then after about 3 days empty the poo remains into the compost and start again

I normally add to the compost heap, i should be making much better use of it.

So i have just put some chicken poo (just poo not mixed in with any bedding) in a bucket about two shoval's worth how much water should I add? and can i really use it just after a few days.

[Zippy]

There's a gut at the lotty who leaves shed scrapings at the free table in a carrier bag, but the mixture looks like its mixed with some kind of gritty sand with orange bits in. Anyone know what this is likely to be - some kind of commercial floor grit or feed?

Same guy leaves scrapings from his pigoen sheds as well - white pigeon feathers and this gritty stuff again. Any bird keepers know what it is?

[philskin]

what's 'ammo straw?'

 sorry can never remember the name ,but its called aminopyralid herbicide and its sprayed on the wheat in the field and stays in the straw can wipe your ground out for years

[SMD66]

the orange grit stuff is aviary sand.  It is sand with small amounts of grit in it, we use it in our aviary.  I expect it's good for loosening up heavy soils.  I can't imagine it has any nasties in it as it is for birds.

sorry can never remember the name ,but its called aminopyralid herbicide and its sprated on the wheat in the field and stays in the straw can wipe your ground out for years

Wow, never thought of what may have been sprayed on the straw, we have 2 compost heaps full of it.  We will ask the farm where we got it from.  Thanks

[Zippy]

Thanks SMD. The allotment soil is sandy so I doubt it will make much difference as I put loads of muck and compost in it anyway.

[janette]

It might encourage mice and rats ,sounds like you give them a bit too much . The wild birds. will eat it or the mice and the corn may grow!!! best of luck

[devondave]

I put the chicken poo in a big bucket or water tank and put lots of water in with it, leave it a few days and use it to water anything that needs nitrogen, really works well, then after about 3 days empty the poo remains into the compost and start again

I normally add to the compost heap, i should be making much better use of it.

So i have just put some chicken poo (just poo not mixed in with any bedding) in a bucket about two shoval's worth how much water should I add? and can i really use it just after a few days.

Just fill the bucket up with water give it a good stir a couple of times a day

[GrannieAnnie]

I don't want to turn this thread into a moral debate but I would just like to say that I would never take any side product from a battery farm. Not only because of the way commercial units treat their stock, but also because of the chemicals the animals are pumped with every day which will be passed on in their droppings onto my plot.

No thanks!

What chemicals???  if you mean ACS, my own chickens have that in their chick crumb and rearer to try to prevent them getting coccidiosis.