Chicken Manure Fertilizer The Cream
Of Soil Conditioning Fertilizers
Granulated Chook Manure For Easy, Clean Garden ApplicationPage Contents
- Chicken Manure Fertilizer
- Types Of Chook Manure
- Application Rates
- Tips
- More .....
Chicken Manure Fertilizer
Typical N.P.K. analysis of dried and pelleted poultry manure is 4.2.1
There is something extra special about chicken manure that puts it high on the list of fertilizing soil conditioners that are well worth the time to hunt out and apply to your vegetable garden.
It is not only the many essential nutrients this manure supplies that makes it a particularly valuable nutrient source. It is because the liquid and solid of the waste from poultry is naturally mixed helping it to break down quickly and supply the soil micro-organisms with the highest quality organic matter.
types of chook manure
The way poultry are housed gives way to the different types of chicken manure available. Whether from a commercial operation or raising domestic chickens there are two distinct products.
- Floor raised birds
- Caged birds
Floor Raised Birds
From housing where floor raised birds such as broilers, pullets, and floor layers are kept with bedding material on the floors. This manure source is a mixture of poultry excrement, spilled feed, feathers and the material used as bedding in poultry operations.
Although usually housed a little different than the commercial operations, the manure from most domestic chickens falls into this category.
Caged birds
Chickens are housed inside in cages with the excrement dropping through the cages and onto, usually, a bare floor. Chicken manure from this source contains only excrement, feathers and some feed waste with little or no bedding material.
forms of manure
Chicken manure fertilizer can be purchased in four forms:
The first form of manure comes directly from the source, rather smelly but by far the best for soil amendment and fertilizer.
Bagged
The other 3 forms is usually obtained as bagged.
Dried and processed poultry manure products can be purchased as Powder, Granulated or Pelleted.
It can be dried and ground into fine powder form that makes it easy to mix with water for making liquid fertilizer.
For easy application it is granulated.
Another form that makes for easy application is pelleted poultry manure.
Check out Manure Fertilizer for more facts on collecting and handling this manure and others.
Application Methods
- Composting
- Broadcast
- Side dressing
- liquid
Composting
Chicken manure makes a great addition to compost. Either the traditional compost heap or sheet composting a garden area.
Fork or till the chicken manure compost into the top 6 inches (15 cm) of garden soil 2-3 weeks before planting. This will give the soil micro-organisms time to work their magic.
Broadcast
Application rates are always tricky because so much depends on the garden it is being applied to and the crop type. Most bagged manures give a rough estimate for the type of manure being used.
Side dressing
Side dressing can mean along the length of a row crop or around a larger plant.
Pellets are being used here but granulated and powdered manure can be used the same. Spread 1 to 2 inches of pelleted chicken manure fertilizer around the base of the plant you want to fertilize. This manure is best used to fertilize "heavy feeders" like, Tomatoes, peppers and eggplants are but 3 that spring to mind.
Mix the manure into the top 1 to 2 inches of soil and water the plant well. Water will help quicken the releasing of nutrients.
Liquid Fertilizer
Liquid chicken fertilizer it can be made from any form of manure available. Composted or powdered are the best options for this method.
Tip when using chicken manure
- Fresh chicken manure is a hot manure. This means its nitrogen levels are high and and will burn the roots growing plants, especially young plants.
- Give chicken manure time to age by spreading the fresh manure over your garden in the fall and digging it in to allow time to decompose over the winter.
- The granulated and powdered forms of manure mentioned above will emit an odor when water is added. With pellets it is hardly noticeable.
related pages
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