How to Compost Chicken Manure (Feces) Questions & Answers
Questions and Answers about composting. What to use in your compost, what not to use, how to compost, maintaining the carbon to nitrogen balance in your compost, and more. Watch our featured video for some awesome helpful tips.
Composting organic materials can be used for lawn and garden fertilizer, is a safe way to dispose of soiled bedding used for poultry,other pets, and livestock with the added benefit of reducing the amount of garbage in landfills which saves taxpayer dollars to maintain and improves our environment.
What can be used for Composts?
You can use almost anything which is not toxic when composting. Everyday items like egg shells, potato skins, peelings, wood chips, and wood ashes, etc.
There are some things you should not put in compost. For example, avoid using coal ashes as they are toxic to plants. See more items that you should not put on your compost pile.How does compost help the environment?
Composting helps the environment in several ways.
Judy Duncan, King County Master Gardener and Cooperative Extension Livestock Advisor recommends a one part/one part or 2 part 1 part ratio mix for chicken manure because it is very high in nitrogen. "Acombination of 30 parts Carbon to 1 part Nitrogen creates the ideal environment for microbes to break down organic material to produce compost. When combining coop bedding and chicken manure how do you achieve the ideal C: N ratio? Since the different beddings have their own C: N ratio, the proportion of bedding to manure will vary depending on the type of bedding used. To keep things simple most composters follow the general rule of 1 part brown to 2 parts green. However, because chicken manure is so high in Nitrogen you may be more successful using a 1:1 or even a 2:1 mixture". (Green. J. 2005). See more and video below.
What can be used for Composts?
You can use almost anything which is not toxic when composting. Everyday items like egg shells, potato skins, peelings, wood chips, and wood ashes, etc.
There are some things you should not put in compost. For example, avoid using coal ashes as they are toxic to plants. See more items that you should not put on your compost pile.How does compost help the environment?
Composting helps the environment in several ways.
- Reduces the amount of organic material disposed of in landfills
- Provides needed nutrients for lawns and gardens
- Reduces the amount of ammonia and other toxic gasses released into the air
Judy Duncan, King County Master Gardener and Cooperative Extension Livestock Advisor recommends a one part/one part or 2 part 1 part ratio mix for chicken manure because it is very high in nitrogen. "Acombination of 30 parts Carbon to 1 part Nitrogen creates the ideal environment for microbes to break down organic material to produce compost. When combining coop bedding and chicken manure how do you achieve the ideal C: N ratio? Since the different beddings have their own C: N ratio, the proportion of bedding to manure will vary depending on the type of bedding used. To keep things simple most composters follow the general rule of 1 part brown to 2 parts green. However, because chicken manure is so high in Nitrogen you may be more successful using a 1:1 or even a 2:1 mixture". (Green. J. 2005). See more and video below.
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References:
1. Reference: Duncan, Judy. (2005). Composting chicken manure.
Seattle Tilth Association. http://seattletilth.org/learn/resources-1/city-chickens/compostingchickenmanure
1. Reference: Duncan, Judy. (2005). Composting chicken manure.
Seattle Tilth Association. http://seattletilth.org/learn/resources-1/city-chickens/compostingchickenmanure