Even when my chickens all too frequently go through periods of low to no egg production I still feel they produce something valuable — poop.
Chicken manure is great fertilizer for the garden, and I’ve used it in a few different ways over the years.
When I build or refresh hugelkulture beds (a style of raised bed with wood on the bottom and then compost and other natural materials under the top soil) I like to put a layer of chicken manure inside.
Sometimes I’ve used it as mulch, particularly if it is mixed in with the wood chips I use as bedding in their coops. I tend to err on the side of caution with this type of application however, because I’ve heard from experienced gardeners that chicken manure can burn plants. I read the burning is due to high nitrogen levels in the form of ammonia, and can result in the leaves of the plant appearing scorched.
The general guidance found online and from conversations with gardeners is to compost chicken manure before use — many say fresh chicken manure should never be used.
But last year I had some unseasoned manure and my garden was in desperate need of fertilizer. Having heard about compost tea, I decided to just soak some of the poultry litter I had on hand and use it to water my veggies.
Within a week my plants were visibly happier. To other areas of my garden I applied some manure and coop litter as a mulch, and didn’t notice any difference in those plants.
When I recently recounted this experience to a local farmer, he told me chicken manure has two types of nitrogen — one is water soluble, the other is not.
So when I soaked some poo in water and then irrigated my plants with it, I was giving them an immediately absorbable boost. When I applied it directly I assumed the rain (or hose) water would wash the same nutrients into the soil, but it doesn’t quite work that way. Manure applied to the soil takes much longer to break down and become accessible to nearby roots.
I tried to do some research on this to better learn the mechanics of these different breakdowns, but I didn’t find much specific information. I did learn more about chicken poop in general.
According to a paper from Clemson University, chicken manure contains all 13 of the essential plant nutrients that are used by plants: nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sulfur(S), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), chlorine (Cl), boron (B), iron (Fe), and molybdenum (Mo).
In the breakdown of these nutrients there were actually three types of nitrogen listed. The paper was about how to utilize chicken manure on farms, and discussed the loss of nutrients with age — apparently the nitrogen content can reduce by 30% if composted without a cover.
From this and other papers and articles I gathered that feed, medications and other variables affect the nutrient content of the manure. I also read that in addition to the above mentioned nutrients, chicken manure contains micronutrients and bacteria.
Despite my reading on the subject I still have unanswered questions, and feel like I have more to learn on the subject of the droppings my feathered friends provide.
I’m inspired to experiment more with the stuff — with composting and a variety of methods of application. While I’ve known for some years that I love gardening, I never anticipated having such an interest in poo.
ALDONA BIRD is a journalist, previously writing for The Dominion Post. She uses experience gained working on organic farms in Europe to help her explore possibilities of local productivity and sustainable living in Preston County. Email columns@dominionpost.com.
