Are you raising a chicken? Well, that is a good move. Besides you can directly enjoy the fresh eggs, the manure also gives you advantages. Indeed, it stinks, invites rodents, occurs diseases, and not healthy for the chicken to breath. But, if you know how to compost chicken manure, you will be amazed. It is really useful for gardening.
Once you know how to compost chicken manure, better to try as soon as possible. Chicken manure is excellent for vegetable and fruit garden. But, before you make your own and apply it, there are some things you need to know about chicken manure. In this article, we will inform you at glance at the advantages of using chicken manure as plant nutrition. In addition, you learn how to compost chicken manure on the farm.
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Advantages of Chicken Manure as Compost
Generally, people know two types of plant fertilizer, they are organic and chemical. What makes both different is the ingredients. The organic one is plant or animal-based which through decompose process. While chemical fertilizer definitely contains mineral or synthetic chemicals. Keep reading to know more about the advantages of chicken manure compost. Because it is more than safer and cheaper.
1. Easy to Make and Use
Basic ingredient needed is only chicken manure. Then, the other additional materials are easy to be found around. It could be leaves, plant remains, and water. So, that is why we want to share how to compost chicken manure here. The compost can be formed in solid or liquid. The application of solid is by pouring or immersing in the soil, while for the liquid one you just spraying on the leaves or splashing to the soil.
2. More Nutrition
The microorganism element in chicken mature compost is more complete than chemical fertilizer. Especially, the chicken manure provides three important nutrition for a plant which are Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. Those three contents can also be found in horse or cow, but not as much as in chicken.
3. Lock the Nutrition
Chicken manure compost is made by decomposing the chicken manure which contains a large number of microorganisms. This content remains on the ground and holds nutrition. When you are watering the plant, the nutrition is not dissolved in water. The roots will absorb nutrients and remain inside for years. The longer it has remained, the looser the soil. So, knowing how to compost chicken manure helps you much in gardening.
4. Improve Soil Quality
Chicken manure compost is able to improve your soil quality. It adds organic matter which works for the soil structure. The soil will become lighter and looser, so it is easier to be processed. Chicken manure compose also fixes the drainage and pores. Also, water absorption will increase too at the same time.
5. Keep the Soil’s Moist
Seeing so many advantages of this kind of fertilizer, you might really need to know how to compost chicken manure. Another plus point you can get is a good level of soil’s moist. When it is properly composed and applied, soil moisture will keep the root too. Grow process is got to be more stable and more resistant to the pets.
Steps About How to Compost Chicken Manure
Now is the time for you to learn how to compost chicken manure. The following steps are easy, even you have never done gardening before. If you have chickens, take their beds. But, if you may also ask a farmer for their chickens’ beds. They will mostly love to give that to you. After you are ready, see points below to make this organic fertilizer:
1. Collect the Materials
As we mentioned above, the main material is chickens’ beds. To support the ingredients, you can add the plant debris, leaves, or sticks. The comparison is approximately 25% for chicken manure and 75% the other materials. After that, put all those things into a compost bin.
2. Make a Compost Bin
Stack all the manure in a place. Cover it with tarpaulin and ensure there is no hole around. Keep it warm and away from flies. To avoid it is revealed, you can use rocks or any heavy object to cover its sides.
3. Adding the Water
Make sure all materials are put properly and proportional inside the bin. This determines the result of your chicken manure compost. So, this part is important to point on how to compost chicken manure. Pour water into the bin.
The process takes about one until two months to be done properly. But, some people wait up to six months to make sure it is ready to use. The length of composting depends on the condition of materials composted and the weather outside. If you live in cold weather, you approximately need three until six months.
4. Monitoring the Temperature
Doing daily temperature monitoring is a must. You can do it every one or two days. Make a log to note ever changes and whatever you do to your project. Make sure the temperature is between 140 to 160 degrees F. Maintain it until three days. This condition will break down bacterial of pathogens from the manure. If you lost the level of temperature, the pathogen will survive and increase.
5. Repeat the Heating
That warm temperature will decrease as time goes by. So, that is why you must check and note on the log every day. After it gets cool, you need to stir the materials inside. Move the core to the edges and vice versa. It results in heat and makes the composing process equal in the whole part.
How to compost chicken manure is not only about the step by steps. It needs your patience, perseverance, and accuracy in controlling. This part can be done when you reach 15 days starts from the beginning. Repeat this step two until three times to make sure all parts have been treated.
6. Curing
After it takes one or two months, the pathogenic bacteria have absolutely been killed. Check the entire bin and see if all parts have been heated and loose. Don’t use the compost when it is still warm. It means the fermentation process is kept running at that time. Cover it close again like before.
The compost is ready when it is getting dark, crumbly, smell like soil, and the temperature decreased. Enjoy the result to your garden, whether on vegetable, fruit, or flower. Spreading it on the surface gently or mix with the existing soil.
How to Make the Compost Bin
After you understand how to compost chicken manure, you must know too about making the compost bin. Because this media is very related to your result. Making the compost bin is easy, so you can prepare it during collecting the manure at the same time.
First, prepare one cubic yard, the size is about 0,5 x 0,5 meters. We recommend you to make two bins. One for the hot process, and the other one when it is curing. Then, put the board in each side and a cover on its top. Finally, the bin is all ready to use.
Additional Tips
- Do not add human, dog, cat, or pig faces into the composting process, those material are not safely composted.
- Always wear gloves whenever you touch the manure and checking the composting bin.
- Remember, even though the pathogenic bacteria are already killed, the manure still contains a low level of salmonella, E. coli, and other bacteria. Wash vegetables and fruits before eating is a must. Even a low level of bacteria can cause you a disease. This gives risks too for young children, pregnant women, a person with a certain disease, or AIDS.
