Re: What's your manure of choice?

snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com writes: ...

which would you chose? > >Fresh horse

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from the fields

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from a pile several years old

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straw mix from the stable > >Rabbit

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>

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2 year old chicken
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sawdust from the chicken coop >

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Dried cow chips

The ideal would be: Horse manure tossed in the chicken pen for the chickens to "process" Second, steer manure tossed in the chicken pen for the chickens to "process" or so I've been told by someone who really does know about such things. The idea of letting the chickens process it is to get most of the seeds out of it as well as mixing in a bit of chicken manure also and it is totally broken up.

My grandparents had laying hens (for market). My grandfather always put a good dose of well-aged chicken manure on their eastern Washington garden. Their garden was far and above the best around. He also practiced crop rotation and was diligent in his watering schedule.

Sawdust in the chicken coop? I've not personally known anyone who uses sawdust in the chicken coop, but rather straw. Compost it; when you cannot identify any straw, it should be cool enough for your garden.

The first several years I had my garden here, it was "loaded" with aged horse manure that had an ample supply of oak leaves from nearby trees). Not only was the manure practically soil (no odor or "original shape") but it was full of thousands of earthworms which had been busily working. Four to six large pickup loads went directly on the garden each spring, no concern about seeds as it was so aged and worked over by the earthworms. This, without question, produced the best garden of all.

Later, it was necessary to find another source which led to having steer manure delivered. It was supposed to be aged but it wasn't very! I left it for the chickens to process which they happily did for all of the bits of corn in it. It is now beautiful soil, nearly two years later.

I also brought in a pickup load of chicken manure (aging does *not* eliminate the stench!!!) which I left to sit (covered with plastic sheets!) until the next year since I was concerned about it being too "hot." There was no odor to what my grandfather spread on the garden which was a big clue to me that this wasn't really aged, not as it should be anyway.

Burro manure is a good source but a bit more difficult for most folks to get since there are far more horses, cattle and chickens. Sheep is also supposed to be good.

HTH.

Glenna

Reply to
Glenna Rose
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This change in subject reminds me of a story given by Margaret Truman in her biography of her presidential father Harry.

Bill

-- Ferme le Bush

Reply to
Salmon Egg

Then there is the story about the farmer speaking to the ladies' group. After the presentation, one of the women complained to the organizer about the speaker's frequent use of the word "manure" instead of fertilizer. The organizer told her to be thankful, that it took them years to get him to say manure.

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Reply to
Glenna Rose

Thaat is the Truman story!

Bill

-- Ferme le Bush

Reply to
Salmon Egg

Hereabouts sawdust is used as bedding in commercial chook sheds. When they clean out the shed the sawdust/chookpoo is called chicken litter.. The manure is diluted to a degree by the sawdust but it is very strong in ammonia when fresh. It's excellent for the garden once it has sat for a while. It is also a good Nitrogen source for your compost which is a quick way to cool it down without losing the volatiles to the atmosphere, or allowing the solubles to wash out.

The smell of a chook shed being cleaned out will knock your socks off at half a mile, at close range it will raise the dead.

David

Reply to
David Hare-Scott

Best manure I found came from free ranging steers in Texas. A company called Tex-Mex was composting and bagging it and a nursery here in a suburb north of Chicago would bring in a truckload every season. Unfortunately the company shut

down because the owners retired and nobody wanted to buy it because it was located > snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com writes:

Reply to
sherwindu

Must not be keeping it very dry.....

Only wet henhouses stink. I used shavings in mine and it stayed pretty dry. Even only cleaning it out twice per year, I never had that kind of problem!

Reply to
OmManiPadmeOmelet

These are the intensive commercial kind that are roofed and ventilated, about 100ft long with 1000s of birds, they are in there for about 10-12 weeks on each lot of sawdust. The moisture all comes from the chooks.

David

Reply to
David Hare-Scott

And very shitty management... ;-) Pun intended!

Overcrowding sux.

Reply to
OmManiPadmeOmelet

barn laid or free range eggs are better for the hens, much better. I will not knowingly buy a battery hen laid egg again.

rob

Reply to
George.com

Ditto here..... But the setup he is talking about above is not for egg layers.

It's for meat birds.

Reply to
OmManiPadmeOmelet

My favorite is goat but maybe it's because I raise them and have lots of it. lol

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Reply to
plantlady

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