Chicken poop

[peachfly]

My family thinks I've a little strange anyway but i''m so excited because i've found a good source of chicken poop, not composted. (doesn't take much to make me happy...just a little poop) The poop is from an organic chicken farm and is mixed with cedar from movable pens which are rotated around a large field.


Can i throw the poop into my working compost pile which is primarily leaves and kitchen scraps or do i need to compost it separately?

How long before it is safe to put it into the garden?

If I can add it to my workin pile, can i add a large bag all at once or should i add it in layers like i do with my kitchen scraps and leaves?

Lastly, is there a limit on the amount i should add to the pile in order to keep it in balance with the kitchen scraps/leaves?

All advice greatly appreciated...

[Compost Pharmer]

Throw it in your compost pile. It should heat the pile up real fast. Never put fresh, uncomposted manure in your garden when plants are growing. You can add it after you clean up the garden in the fall and till it in. Over winter it will decompose and be ready for the spring. Fresh manure is to 'hot' and will burn the plants roots.

[Pharmer Phil]

ideal is 30:1 C/N (carbon/Nitrogen)
rotted manure, 20:1

[peachfly]

Thanks, guys...

[abirdseyeview]

Good find! I'm abit surprised that it is mixed with cedar shavings as the oils in cedar can be toxic to chickens. Mmmmm.

[peachfly]

The chickens all seem to be alive and well. This guy has about 750, supposedly the largest flock of organic chickens in the State of GA. Because of the way the pens are designed, the chickens spend part of each day on a fresh spot of grass. I'll ask him about the cedar next time I see him.

As a marketing ploy, he promotes chicken adoption. A customer can "adopt" some of his chickens, name them, get his or her picture taken with them, and get their eggs. The chickens, of course, remain in his care. A friend and I have "adopted" 4 chickens and will split the eggs they lay. Looking for biblical names, we settled on Faith, Hope, Charity, and Jezebel. (Yes, we do indeed have a strange sense of humor.)