How to Use Chicken Manure in Your Garden

Growing up in Central Florida, I was fortunate to have good year-round growing conditions. My grandparents were avid gardeners, and I remember the big jar painted white sitting on the counter to collect food for the compost pile. Once it was filled, my granddad would take it out to the compost bin and turn in, creating a rich soil. Although he composted, I was not introduced to chicken poop fertilizer until I was much older.

I was lucky to grow up with an awareness of composting, and once I moved and started a garden of my own, I had to investigate composting and fertilizing on my own, including chicken manure fertilizer. I went through quite a few plants that I "buried" instead of planted, since I did not take the time to invest in the right soil.

After a friend told me about chicken poop fertilizer as a great organic compound, I had to investigate on HOW to use, of all things, chicken poop! I had never heard of such a thing from my city grandparents, since ours was all turned food products mixed with dirt.

Upon reading up, I discovered that chicken manure fertilizer is the richest in nutrients of the animal manures. Because of the high content of nutrients, it's"hot manure". This means it will burn your plants if you just sprinkle it around. It works best to compost this manure before using it.

I had to learn how to compost with chicken poop fertilizer. It only took a few weeks for me to figure out what "burned" plants looked like from too much chicken manure fertilizer without enough other organic compounds.

In order to get your soil prepared with the chicken poop, add it to other organic ingredients. This can be vegetable and fruit leftovers, eggshells, coffee grounds, leaves and sticks. If you start in the fall and keep turning it, it will turn to rich looking dirt. Turn this into the ground when you till your garden, and the results with your chicken manure fertilizer will be amazing!

Experienced gardeners will tell you that you must use it when it is dry, not wet. Harvest the chicken poop yourself, or buy it from local farmers. If you raise the chickens anyway, then you might as well reap the benefits of the chicken poop.

As an aside, chickens also provide a great natural form of pest control and are very personable as pets. So if you have thought about using chicken poop fertilizer, there are more reasons than just the droppings to start a brood.

Now that I have incorporated chicken poop manure into my gardening, my potted plants and outdoor gardens have thrived. Try chicken manure fertilizer, just do it wisely to get the best results. Get the best vegetables and flower production from your plants possible - all while doing it "green" and using organic fertilizers.

Suzie O'Connor is the owner of Chickenhousesplus.com who manufacturers Custom Built Chicken Houses and Chicken Coops in Central Florida, we also carry Fertile Chicken Eggs and Incubators for the homeowner who would like to start raising their own chickens for fresh eggs.

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