Poultry manure

 

I know it is normally called 'hot' !
(and it pongs a bit of rampant ammonia as well)
so I normally leave it to 'mature' for about a 6month or 1year in a
compost heap before use.

It is woodshavings mixed with old leafmold (from old heaps, they love
scratching thro' it !)
We have recently got a bit carried away with our 'normal' poultry  and
added lots of quail as well, so we have a surplus of spent litter.

Should I
(1) build yet more compost bins (pig fencing and liners seem to be the
least labour intensive)
or
(2)spread it on a bed in the veg patch and use it for ,, beans ?
potatoes? not carrots I suppose,, in the spring.
  (2a) would I meantime cover it against the winter elements (eg rain
washing the nutrients away)
  (2b) let the rain carry whatever down into my heavy red clay* on
limestone hillside.
(3) dig a big ( I mean really big) trench and forget it for a year or
two after I cover it.

*raised beds are being employed to good effect

 


WaltA wrote:

You lucky lucky man. I would spread it at the bottom of a trench now,
left open all winter for next year's broadbeans. We like broadbeans a
lot, mostly eaten raw, and 3 rows of 15/20 plants's not enough for our
tribe....


Yes - just spread it on top now and leave it till your spuds are ready
in March. And if you still have surplus (getting very jealous now)  it
would indeed be perfect to dump the lot on your clay patch to rot on
and exposed to winter. I've learn my lesson with chooks manure - I got
lots of leaf one year because I applied it too late. Now is so perfect
- I'm annoyed with you ;o)

 

We wrote :

Ah! I'll re-phrase that ",,,, runner and climbing french beans"  !! :)


Yes, but, by the time one throws away the stem, unzips and throws away
the pod then peels the bean skins, one is not left with much for all
the effort !! Just a couple of wee cotyledons (sp? terminology?)
So inefficient I think, so I dont :))

Yes, it was the leaving uncovered bit that I am not sure about.
I remember that wood ash is good for washing the (something??  my
brain has gone blank !) into the clay to improve the clay.
But with poultry litter it is mostly ammonia, nitrite and nitrate,
would this be retained by the clay or would it go to waste I wonder ?

I also seem to remember something about not digging in uncomposted
woodshavings/chippings type material because of errrr,, nitrogen(?)
robbing ?

hence my quandary !


heheee ! :) sorry about that ;-)

 


WaltA wrote:

Not much of a slow lover ain't ya <g>


Woodash makes the soil very alkaline but the science bit as regard to
clay and amonnia I dunno. On our clay patch I use lots of OM in autumn
and 5 months later it's ready for sowing without any dig. I use woodash
on my paths - makes them harder and compact the soil better. Make a pit
like Mike suggested and live to enjoy. Make sure you don't fall in with
the snakes <shivers>

 


WaltA wrote:

No much of a slow lover ain't ya <g>


Sounds like you've got tons. You've got some of it mixed with leafmold
- as you know, if you leave it now in trench for your veg patch, by the
time of sowing, 3/4 months it would be lovely. If you don't want to do
more bins ... do a pit like Mike suggested and live to enjoy I suppose
and try not to fall in.


I'd say woodash is good at making my path hard and help compact the
soil. Dunno about the science bit linked to the clay as far as poultry
manure and levels of amonnia are concerned. I use lots of OM on my clay
patch - works wonder. I leave from autumn till sowing time - then
hardly dig in, if at all. But I wouldn't use it now - not until it is
fully decomposed. I'm going to look into this choock/woodchip mix. What
did you do before? Did you get the chickens recently?