Application Rates
How to Apply Chicken Manure Fertilizer
Begin application of chicken manure fertilizer in the spring. Feed flowers and vegetables monthly throughout the growing season. Feed trees and shrubs in spring and fall. Sprinkle on the soil surface as a side dressing and then water in. Chicken manure fertilizer is not intended to be applied as a compost tea. We recommend side dressing as a dry product then applying the compost tea on top as a foliar drench.
Garden Fertilizer
Mix into the top 4″ of soil at a rate of 5 lbs. per 100 sq. ft.
Flowers and Vegetables
Apply at a rate of 2.5 TBSP. per plant.
Trees & Shrubs
Apply 1 cup per foot of branch diameter around the drip line. Double this amount for plants larger than 3 feet in diameter.
A Note On Compost Piles
While it is commonplace to apply fresh chicken manure to a compost pile, we do not recommend applying to piles. While it certainly will not hurt, and actually only improve the compost pile, it is a waste of resources.
Fresh manure is typically applied right out of a house or chicken coop and then processed in the compost bin until it becomes aged manure. This involves some knowledge and experience as you would need to have a properly managed operation and introduce oxygen to the compost often for five to six weeks. The end result would be a lesser product in terms of nitrogen and fertilizer than our chicken manure fertilizer.
If you have already processed a compost pile or compost bin and want to incorporate more nutrients, simply add in our chicken manure fertilizer at the end of the composting period for a more nutrient-rich compost blend.
Benefits of Chicken Manure Fertilizer
Chicken manure is a non-synthetic organic fertilizer that has several advantages. It's a comprehensive fertilizer, which means it contains high levels of nutrients like phosphate and phosphorus as well as important micronutrients for good plant and grass growth. In fact, chicken manure's nitrogen and phosphorous content is around twice the concentration of cow manure.
Chicken manure can be viewed but not just as a fertilizer, but as a very beneficial soil amendment. It provides organic compounds that improve soil structure, moisture retention, drain capability and air circulation. Similarly, soil that contains more organic materials will be less vulnerable to erosion.
Types of Chicken Manure Fertilizer
The most common types of poultry manure fertilizer are pellets and crumbles. Our chicken manure fertilizer is crumbled.
Pellets
Chicken manure pellets are created from composted chicken manure that is heated to disinfect and then compressed to form hard, compact pellets. Pellets are larger and heavier than crumbles and tend to go further in a broadcast spreader. They are not as versatile as a crumble but can be combined with other additives to make a combined product.
Crumbles
Fertilizer pellets can be cracked and rolled to form crumbles, which are smaller and softer than pellets. Crumbles can also be made from different machines on different settings. Chicken manure crumbles are the most versatile as they can be controlled easily with a drop spreader and provide enough distance in a broadcast spreader.
Fresh Chicken Manure vs. Composted Chicken Manure
Let's get one thing straight—It is not okay to spread uncomposted manure on your vegetable garden or lawn. Fresh chicken manure may contain disease organisms that could contaminate root crops (carrots, radishes, beets) and leaves (lettuce, spinach).
It's safer and more effective to use aged chicken manure rather than fresh poultry manure. You can't just take what's on the floor of your chicken coop and put it on your plants as is.
Along with chicken manure, you scoop up a lot of other things in your coop bedding material, including feathers, straw, paper, grass clippings and more. This variety of components can lead to inconsistencies in the nutrient content of fresh manure. That means that when using homemade manure fertilizer, you don't know exactly what you're putting on your plants!
But even better than aged manure is chicken manure fertilizer processed in an industrial dryer. That’s what we sell at Southland Organics. Our chicken manure fertilizer is processed in an industrial dryer heated to over 350 degrees and circulated with powerful blasts of air to make sure the final product is safe and optimal. Since it's commercially produced, consistency of nutrients is ensured and you can know exactly what you're putting on your garden or lawn. Fresh manure is just not reliable.
This industrial drying process renders the litter much better than composting ever could. The heated drying process removes weeds and pathogens while retaining all the beneficial nutrients litter can offer.
Composting alone is not good enough—With our industrially dried chicken manure fertilizer, you can rest assured that you’re applying a safe, effective natural fertilizer to your lawn and garden.
Using chicken manure safely is imperative. The following safety tips are summarized from the Stewardship Gardening Program provided by Washington State University:
- Apply only aged or composted manure to your soil.
- Always wear gloves when handling livestock manure.
- Thoroughly wash raw vegetables before eating.
- Do not use cat, dog or pig manure in compost piles.
- People who are susceptible to food borne illnesses should avoid eating uncooked vegetables from manured gardens. Those who face risks from food borne illness include pregnant women, very young children, and persons with cancer, kidney failure, liver disease, diabetes or AIDS.
This product is entirely chicken manure fertilizer! It includes industrially processed chicken manure—no bull.
The key is the processing method. We have a huge multimillion dollar dryer that heats the litter and locks in all the vital nutrients ages manure has, but eliminates all the pathogens. Because the manure has been processed it is considered compost.What is your process for composting chicken manure?
The process for composting chicken manure safely involves a commercial dryer. This dryer has many industrial parts and components to move and heat the poultry manure. The poultry manure is ultimately heated to a temperature exceeding 340 degrees Fahrenheit. This extreme temperature is held for over a minute to ensure the killing of all harmful pathogens.
It is vital to destroy pathogens in the poultry manure. All organic matter, especially fresh chicken manure, contains harmful pathogens. By heating the manure above the thermophilic point (155 degrees), we are making sure that the the process delivers a fully composted chicken manure that is still full of rich organic matter and available nitrogen and ammonia content.
Because our composted manure is heated to such high temperatures to destroy pathogens, it is perfectly safe to use in home gardens, children and pet play areas and most locations where other materials would be a concern.
