How to use chicken manure in your garden as fertilizer

Growing up in Central Florida, I was lucky to have good growing conditions year-round. My grandparents were avid gardeners, and I remember the big white painted jar that sat on the counter to collect food for the compost pile. Once it was full, my grandfather would take it out to the compost bin and turn it over, creating rich soil. Although he composted, I wasn’t introduced to chicken poop fertilizer until I was much older.

I was lucky enough to grow up knowledgeable about composting, and once I moved and started my own garden, I had to research composting and fertilizing on my own, including chicken manure fertilizer. I’ve gone through quite a few plants that I “buried” rather than plant, since I didn’t take the time to invest in the right soil.

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

By reading, I found that chicken manure fertilizer is the most nutrient-rich of the animal manures. Due to the high content of nutrients, it is “hot manure”. This means it will burn your plants if you just spray it. It is best to compost this manure before use.

I had to learn how to compost chicken poop fertilizer. It only took me a few weeks to realize how “burnt” plants looked from too much chicken manure fertilizer without enough other organic compounds.

To prepare the soil with the chicken poop, add it to other organic ingredients. It can be remains of vegetables and fruits, egg shells, coffee grounds, leaves and sticks. If you start in the fall and continue to turn it, it will turn into rich soil. Turn this into the soil when you till your garden, and the results with your chicken manure fertilizer will be amazing!

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

On the other hand, chickens also provide a great natural form of pest control and are very enjoyable as pets. So if you’ve 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 for best results. Get the best possible vegetable and flower production from your plants, all while going “green” and using organic fertilizers.