I have a large compost bin full of the scrapings
from the dropping board in the hen house.
It is pure poo, and unadulterated with litter etc.
What would be the best way to utilise this?
I suspect that it would be far too "hot"
to come into contact with any plant roots.
If it is dug into spare ground, how long would I
have to leave it before planting anything?
Your expertise would be appreciated.

Ted R

Ted Richardson wrote:
:: I have a large compost bin full of the scrapings
:: from the dropping board in the hen house.
:: It is pure poo, and unadulterated with litter etc.
:: What would be the best way to utilise this?
:: I suspect that it would be far too "hot"
:: to come into contact with any plant roots.
:: If it is dug into spare ground, how long would I
:: have to leave it before planting anything?
:: Your expertise would be appreciated.
::
:: Ted R

I asked a similar question WRT horse muck earlier and will be interested to
hear the replies to this.

I saw chicken manure on sale in our local supermarket the other day, dried
and pelleted and in 25ltr drums...I may be tempted, if it's not too
abrasive.

--

http://www.blueyonder256k.myby.co.uk/

In article , Ted Richardson
writes
I have a large compost bin full of the scrapings
from the dropping board in the hen house.
It is pure poo, and unadulterated with litter etc.
What would be the best way to utilise this?
I suspect that it would be far too "hot"
to come into contact with any plant roots.
If it is dug into spare ground, how long would I
have to leave it before planting anything?
Your expertise would be appreciated.

Yes, fresh undiluted poultry manure is much too fierce to be applied to
plants. Give it a couple of months with air access to mature, then
dilute it with compost before use. Even then keep it a few inches away
from growing plants.
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.

according to Bob Flowerdew its highly nitrogenous, a good source of potash and great for making a compost heap cook. Always compost first.

on the subject of chickens, I'm thinking of getting three - can anyone tell me what flowers/vegetables in my garden might be of serious risk or maybe this is a rather naive question?! (I'm at the very early research stage and yet to convince somebody else what a wonderful idea this is) I would like them to be as free as possible, though obviously inside at night.

jay jay

"Phil L" wrote in message
.uk...
Ted Richardson wrote:
:: I have a large compost bin full of the scrapings
:: from the dropping board in the hen house.
:: It is pure poo, and unadulterated with litter etc.
:: What would be the best way to utilise this?
:: I suspect that it would be far too "hot"
:: to come into contact with any plant roots.
:: If it is dug into spare ground, how long would I
:: have to leave it before planting anything?
:: Your expertise would be appreciated.
::
:: Ted R

I asked a similar question WRT horse muck earlier and will be interested
to
hear the replies to this.

I saw chicken manure on sale in our local supermarket the other day, dried
and pelleted and in 25ltr drums...I may be tempted, if it's not too
abrasive.

--

http://www.blueyonder256k.myby.co.uk/


Used to use chicken poo on the garden from our hens, since we stopped we
have had a lot less magnesium deficiency, so long as it was not in contact
with the plants it was ok on the garden I used to mix it with other organic
stuff and leave it a month or two first.
See how others got on may be my soil is low in magnesium to start with.

--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collection of Clematis viticella (cvs)

jay jay wrote:
::
:: according to Bob Flowerdew its highly nitrogenous, a good source of
:: potash and great for making a compost heap cook. Always compost
:: first.
::
What about the dried and pelleted stuff? - I assumed this was 'ready to
use'?


:: on the subject of chickens, I'm thinking of getting three - can
:: anyone tell me what flowers/vegetables in my garden might be of
:: serious risk or maybe this is a rather naive question?!

Only the green ones, IE anything which has leaves.
Oh and roots.
Chickens will eat everything in sight and quite a few things out of sight
too, all plant life will be gone!

(I'm at
:: the very early research stage and yet to convince somebody else
:: what a wonderful idea this is) I would like them to be as free as
:: possible, though obviously inside at night.

This is the crux of the problem, to get good quality eggs, they need to roam
free, but they eat everything edible, plants, insects, seeds, grass, weeds
etc etc, so people coop them up and feed them grains etc which causes their
eggs to be like supermarket eggs, IE horrid.


--

http://www.blueyonder256k.myby.co.uk/

"Phil L" wrote...
jay jay wrote:
::
:: according to Bob Flowerdew its highly nitrogenous, a good source of
:: potash and great for making a compost heap cook. Always compost
:: first.
::
What about the dried and pelleted stuff? - I assumed this was 'ready to
use'?

Yes it is, and excellent it is too. Good on the garden and the allotments
but I also find it excellent for pot plants, citrus, even orchids, but then
bird droppings are their natural feed.

--
Regards
Bob
In Runnymede, 17 miles West of London

"jay jay" wrote in message
...
:
Snip
:
: on the subject of chickens, I'm thinking of getting three - can anyone
: tell me what flowers/vegetables in my garden might be of serious risk
: or maybe this is a rather naive question?! (I'm at the very early
: research stage and yet to convince somebody else what a wonderful idea
: this is) I would like them to be as free as possible, though obviously
: inside at night.
:
: jay jay
:
:
: --
They are a very knowledgable and helpful lot on "sci.agriculture.poultry"
and would be able to advise.

Ted R

"Ted Richardson" wrote in message
...
I have a large compost bin full of the scrapings
from the dropping board in the hen house.
It is pure poo, and unadulterated with litter etc.
What would be the best way to utilise this?
I suspect that it would be far too "hot"
to come into contact with any plant roots.
If it is dug into spare ground, how long would I
have to leave it before planting anything?
Your expertise would be appreciated.

I compost all mine and it makes wonderful rich compost. I do have rather a
lot of chickens though :0)
www.geocities.com/fenlandfowl

"jay jay" wrote in message
...

Alan Gould Wrote:
In article , Ted Richardson
writes-
I have a large compost bin full of the scrapings
from the dropping board in the hen house.
It is pure poo, and unadulterated with litter etc.
What would be the best way to utilise this?
I suspect that it would be far too "hot"
to come into contact with any plant roots.
If it is dug into spare ground, how long would I
have to leave it before planting anything?
Your expertise would be appreciated.
-
Yes, fresh undiluted poultry manure is much too fierce to be applied
to
plants. Give it a couple of months with air access to mature, then
dilute it with compost before use. Even then keep it a few inches away
from growing plants.
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.

according to Bob Flowerdew its highly nitrogenous, a good source of
potash and great for making a compost heap cook. Always compost
first.

on the subject of chickens, I'm thinking of getting three - can anyone
tell me what flowers/vegetables in my garden might be of serious risk
or maybe this is a rather naive question?! (I'm at the very early
research stage and yet to convince somebody else what a wonderful idea
this is) I would like them to be as free as possible, though obviously
inside at night.
I breed poultry. They will ruin your garden if allowed unsupervised access
to it. You may need to build a nice big run and only allw them out for a few
hours a day. Or alternatively fence off areas where you don't want them.
They like lawns and won't hurt that. They will scratch all the moss out, and
eat nasty buggy things and the composted manure is great. Add to that the
bonus of lovely eggs and chickens are a great idea for a gardener. Might I
suggest you get yourself a good book? I can highly recommend 'starting with
chickens' by Katie Thear. Available from ebay, amazon etc. Or grab yourself
a copy of 'practical poultry' from WH Smiff.
www.geocities.com/fenlandfowl

Thanks for all your suggestions including a long post
from Gary, sent direct.
much appreciated

Ted R


"Ted Richardson" wrote in message
...
: I have a large compost bin full of the scrapings
: from the dropping board in the hen house.
: It is pure poo, and unadulterated with litter etc.
: What would be the best way to utilise this?
: I suspect that it would be far too "hot"
: to come into contact with any plant roots.
: If it is dug into spare ground, how long would I
: have to leave it before planting anything?
: Your expertise would be appreciated.
:
: Ted R
:
:

"jay jay" wrote in message
...

Alan Gould Wrote:

according to Bob Flowerdew its highly nitrogenous, a good source of
potash and great for making a compost heap cook. Always compost
first.

on the subject of chickens, I'm thinking of getting three - can anyone
tell me what flowers/vegetables in my garden might be of serious risk
or maybe this is a rather naive question?! (I'm at the very early
research stage and yet to convince somebody else what a wonderful idea
this is) I would like them to be as free as possible, though obviously
inside at night.


We have two yuppie chickens, from www.omlet.co.uk (they are called Thelma
and Louise). During the summer, they didn't have any noticeable effect on
the garden, but over the winter, when bugs became harder to find and plants
grow more slowly, they have laid waste to the garden. They've eaten the
grass off the part of the lawn nearest the house, scratched up the
snowdrops, crocuses and dafs and generally trashed the place.
So we have invested in some fencing to keep them away from the beds when the
plants are young and vulnerable, and are re-planning our gardening around
the chickens.
On the plus side, they've laid an egg a day each, we don't have a slug
problem any more, and they are pretty low maintenance as pets go.

Pete

"jay jay" wrote in message
...

Alan Gould Wrote:
In article , Ted Richardson
writes-
I have a large compost bin full of the scrapings
from the dropping board in the hen house.
It is pure poo, and unadulterated with litter etc.
What would be the best way to utilise this?
I suspect that it would be far too "hot"
to come into contact with any plant roots.
If it is dug into spare ground, how long would I
have to leave it before planting anything?
Your expertise would be appreciated.
-
Yes, fresh undiluted poultry manure is much too fierce to be applied
to
plants. Give it a couple of months with air access to mature, then
dilute it with compost before use. Even then keep it a few inches away
from growing plants.
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.

according to Bob Flowerdew its highly nitrogenous, a good source of
potash and great for making a compost heap cook. Always compost
first.

on the subject of chickens, I'm thinking of getting three - can anyone
tell me what flowers/vegetables in my garden might be of serious risk
or maybe this is a rather naive question?! (I'm at the very early
research stage and yet to convince somebody else what a wonderful idea
this is) I would like them to be as free as possible, though obviously
inside at night.

jay jay


*******
Are you kidding?!.
They must have an area fenced off with wire netting sixfeet high to stop
them flying out on to your cherished flowerbeds. It is cruel to snip their
wing flight feathers. Those are the big long feathers on the outer lengths
of their wings. Within weeks their compound will be a sea of mud and nary a
blade of grass in sight. Don't bother if you have nice neighbours to think
you can fancy having a cockerel crowing at the first glimpse of daylight.
Am I trying to put you off?.
No!. In my time I have kept poultry under many different conditions.
Nowadys pellets are available for feeding and give most of the required for
a good diet.
So, what I am saying, is, you don't need to be put off by the above comments
which simply state that they need their own exclusive piece of land. you
have therefore been forewarned and can proceed with confidence and feed on
fresh goggie eggs and have a nice roast chicken in the oven occasionally.
During the moulting season,..... well! that's another story.
Doug.

In article ,
"doug" writes:
| "jay jay" wrote in message
| ...
|
| on the subject of chickens, I'm thinking of getting three - can anyone
| tell me what flowers/vegetables in my garden might be of serious risk
| or maybe this is a rather naive question?! (I'm at the very early
| research stage and yet to convince somebody else what a wonderful idea
| this is) I would like them to be as free as possible, though obviously
| inside at night.
|
| They must have an area fenced off with wire netting sixfeet high to stop
| them flying out on to your cherished flowerbeds. It is cruel to snip their
| wing flight feathers. Those are the big long feathers on the outer lengths
| of their wings. Within weeks their compound will be a sea of mud and nary a
| blade of grass in sight. ...

Unless the compound is VERY small, that won't work - they can fly
above 6', you know. If you are to keep unclipped chickens, the
run must be netted on top as well as all round. And the reason
that your compound is a sea of mud is because it is very small,
which can be cruel.

And exactly why do you think that clipping flight feathers is
cruel? Feathers are dead tissue, just like hair.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article ,
"doug" writes:
| "jay jay" wrote in
message
| ...
|
| on the subject of chickens, I'm thinking of getting three - can
anyone
| tell me what flowers/vegetables in my garden might be of serious
risk
| or maybe this is a rather naive question?! (I'm at the very
early
| research stage and yet to convince somebody else what a
wonderful idea
| this is) I would like them to be as free as possible, though
obviously
| inside at night.
|
| They must have an area fenced off with wire netting six feet high
to stop
| them flying out on to your cherished flowerbeds. It is cruel to
snip
| their wing flight feathers. Those are the big long feathers on
the
| outer lengths of their wings. Within weeks their compound will be
a
| sea of mud and nary a blade of grass in sight. ...

Unless the compound is VERY small, that won't work - they can fly
above 6', you know. If you are to keep unclipped chickens, the
run must be netted on top as well as all round.
It depends on the chickens. Our Buff Orpingtons never got over a 2'6"
strip of, um, chicken wire. The Rhode Island Reds needed to have their
wings clipped (but not much).
And the reason that your compound is a sea of mud is because it is
very small, which can be cruel.

And exactly why do you think that clipping flight feathers is
cruel? Feathers are dead tissue, just like hair.
Quite.