Using Chicken Manure for Vegetable Garden Fertilizer
Chicken manure fertilizer is very high in nitrogen and also contains a good amount of potassium and phosphorus. The high nitrogen and balanced nutrients are the reason that chicken manure compost is the best kind of manure to use. But the high nitrogen in the chicken manure is dangerous to plants if the manure has not been properly composted. Raw chicken manure fertilizer can burn, and even kill plants. Composting chicken manure mellows the nitrogen and makes the manure suitable for the garden.
Composting Chicken Manure
Chicken manure composting gives the manure time to break down some of the more powerful nutrients so that they are more usable by the plants. Composting chicken manure is simple. If you have chickens, you can use the bedding from your own chickens. If you do not own chickens, you can locate a farmer who owns chickens and they will most likely be happy to give you the used chicken bedding. The next step in chicken manure composting is to take the used bedding and put it into a compost bin. Water it thoroughly and then turn the pile every few weeks to get air into the pile. It takes about six to nine months, on average, for chicken manure compost to be done properly. The exact amount of time it takes for composting chicken manure depends on the conditions under which it is composted. If you are uncertain how well your chicken manure has been composted, you can wait up to 12 months to use your chicken manure compost. Once you have finished chicken manure composting, it is ready to use. Simply spread the chicken manure compost evenly over the garden. Work the compost into the soil with either a shovel or a tiller. Chicken manure for vegetable garden fertilizing will produce excellent soil for your vegetables to grow in. You will find that your vegetables will grow bigger and healthier as a result of using chicken manure fertilizer.
