Make some great compost! For some that doesn’t mean much more than the chore of mucking out the coop a few times a year. - Over the whole yard, mix 2-4" of that compost into the top 4-6" of your double-turned sandy loam, and you would have really great, organic soil. Fresh chicken manure, from a hen, contains approximately 22 percent nitrogen, 22 percent phosphorous and 10 percent potassium, and its dried commercial version contains approximately 31 percent nitrogen, 31 percent phosphorous and 40 percent potassium. Multiply that by 8 birds and that’s a lot of poop. Once you have finished chicken manure composting, it is ready to use. Generally, Chicken manure is a superstar for composting. Cover the chicken manure with a 2- to 3-inch lay of compost in … Over that same period of time, this typical chicken — tiny though she seems — will produce roughly 90 pounds of manure. We used local horse manure last year to fertilize, but it sure brought a ton of weeds with it. Adding too much manure can lead to nitrate leaching, nutrient runoff, excessive vegetative growth and, for some manures, salt damage. Work the compost into the soil with either a shovel or a tiller. Two Reasons to Compost the Chicken Manure. When you take hand and stick in ground up to elbow you show down adding organic matter very few people in world do this the adding of organic matter but is possible. 2. Note that soil testing should be conducted regularly in your fields where manure will be applied. It is possible to add too much organic matter so be cautious when amending soils. In addition, amending soils with manures help improve soil nutrients and texture. Fresh manure will burn the plants roots and leaves because it is too strong or “hot” unless it is composted. I like the simplicity of adding it all to my compost piles, but I don't know that much about the properties of chicken manure as a fertilizer. Composted chicken manure can be used at any time of the year and is safe to handle with bare hands. Adding the manure directly to the garden can spread pathogenic organisms to the soil which can be picked up by low growing leafy greens and fruit. Thank you in advance for any help you can offer. For example, for Rose plants, mix 1 part garden soil and 1/4 part potting soil.. How to Compost Chicken Manure. It’s a rapid-release nitrogen source, as chicken manure releases 75% of its nitrogen in one year. Simply spread the chicken manure compost evenly over the garden. - Mix the wood chips and chicken manure in 3 to 5 foot tall heaps for 4-12 months, keep it damp and turn occsionally. Add a 3- to 4-inch layer of composted chicken manure to soil and till into the top 6 inches. This is based on an application rate of a half-inch to 1″ layer of pure composted chicken manure. If the soil P test level is very high (over 21 ppm Bray-P or over 16 ppm Olsen-P), you are not likely to see a yield benefit from the additional P in the manure. Manure from meat-eating animals and pets should not be used because it could contain parasites. This year I want to purchase organic composted chicken manure from the local farmer's supply store. I just need to know how many 1.5 cf bags of chicken manure is appropriate for this size of garden. A good baseline estimate on chicken manure NPK is 1.1 – 0.8 – 0.5. Step 8) Mix potting soil and composted manure in a ratio of about 1 1/4 parts potting soil to 1/4 part compost. If you are uncertain how well your chicken manure has been composted, you can wait up to 12 months to use your chicken manure compost. 1. Chicken litter contains high amounts of … If too much manure is added, the roots can be “burned” and absorption of water and nutrients will be diminished or cease. A ton chicken litter has 500 lbs lime per ton this help most time on second year of crop more than first year applied. Proper use of manure in the garden can supply your plants with nutrients and help improve soil structure. As a typical laying chicken, she lays between 250 and 300 eggs a year.