Bulbs
Flower Basics
Flower Beds & Specialty Gardens
Flower Garden
Garden Furniture
Garden Gnomes
Garden Seeds
Garden Sheds
Garden Statues
Garden Tools & Supplies
Gardening Basics
Green & Organic
Groundcovers & Vines
Growing Annuals
Growing Basil
Growing Beans
Growing Berries
Growing Blueberries
Growing Cactus
Growing Corn
Growing Cotton
Growing Edibles
Growing Flowers
Growing Garlic
Growing Grapes
Growing Grass
Growing Herbs
Growing Jasmine
Growing Mint
Growing Mushrooms
Orchids
Growing Peanuts
Growing Perennials
Growing Plants
Growing Rosemary
Growing Roses
Growing Strawberries
Growing Sunflowers
Growing Thyme
Growing Tomatoes
Growing Tulips
Growing Vegetables
Herb Basics
Herb Garden
Indoor Growing
Landscaping Basics
Landscaping Patios
Landscaping Plants
Landscaping Shrubs
Landscaping Trees
Landscaping Walks & Pathways
Lawn Basics
Lawn Maintenance
Lawn Mowers
Lawn Ornaments
Lawn Planting
Lawn Tools
Outdoor Growing
Overall Landscape Planning
Pests, Weeds & Problems
Plant Basics
Rock Garden
Rose Garden
Shrubs
Soil
Specialty Gardens
Trees
Vegetable Garden
Yard Maintenance
How to Compost Chicken Manure
How to Compost Chicken Manure. A typical hen creates 1 cubic foot of manure every 6 months. Fortunately, chicken manure compost not only adds rich organic matter to the soil--more than even horse or cow manure--but it also improves the earth’s ability to retain water. The trick, however, is to handle the chicken manure properly. If the manure...
A typical hen creates 1 cubic foot of manure every 6 months. Fortunately, chicken manure compost not only adds rich organic matter to the soil--more than even horse or cow manure--but it also improves the earth’s ability to retain water. The trick, however, is to handle the chicken manure properly. If the manure isn’t well-composted, it will burn and possibly even kill your plants. The good news is, the process is easy, once you know the rules.
Things You'll Need
Compost pile or bin
Gloves
Shovel
Chicken manure and chicken bedding
Organic carbon materials
Water
Prepare a compost pile or bin. Keep a pile in one corner of the garden, or buy an enclosed composter.
Shovel up chicken manure and chicken bedding (which may include sawdust, shavings or leaves).
Place manure and bedding in the compost bin or pile.
Add carbon materials to the compost pile to help the manure decompose more quickly. How much you’ll need to add depends upon what bedding materials you use. As a general rule of thumb, remember the manure itself is high in nitrogen, so try to add 1-part browns (like shredded leaves, shrub prunings, straw, hay, pine needles, wood ash or shredded newspaper) to 1-part greens (like manure and fruit and vegetable scraps). Some gardeners prefer a 2:1 ratio when using chicken manure. The correct ratio will make the compost hot for about 3 days.
Wet the mixture of manure and carbon materials.
Rotate the materials in the compost pile after about 3 days.
Add more manure and more carbon materials at least three times.
Cover an open compost pile or allow the compost bin to sit, undisturbed, for about 2 to 6 months. After this time, the compost should be crumbly, dark and have a sweet, earthy scent. You can now add it to the garden.
Tips & Warnings
Chicken manure compost can sit for up to 1 year before you use it in the garden.
To use chicken manure compost, spread it in the garden bed and either turn it into the soil with a shovel or use a tiller to mix it into the earth.
Wear gloves when working with uncomposted chicken manure, even if you think you won’t be touching it directly.
Never put immature compost or uncomposted chicken manure directly in your garden beds, as it may spread disease and kill plants.
Always wash food grown in compost or natural fertilizers well, to further limit the possibility of E. coli food poisoning.
