Garden season is in full swing and we are so excited! Gardening has always been a big part of our family and raising backyard chickens has propelled our plants into powerhouse producers. There is something so exciting about growing your own food and feeding our family nutritious meals. Composting our chicken litter has been an incredible asset to our gardens.
Why Chicken Compost Is Great for Your Garden
Some may get turned off by the thought of throwing chicken litter on the dirt where their food is going to grow. I get that! However, when it’s done properly, you’re not just throwing poop on your plants. Raw or “hot” chicken poop can actually burn and damage your plants. Composting their poop, and using it after a few months of breakdown, will benefit the soil, and in turn, grow healthy plants. Learn how to compost chicken litter properly in this blog!
What Makes Chicken Compost So Nutrient-Rich?
Composted chicken litter is packed with essential nutrients like nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and calcium. We use the deep litter method in our coop, where we let pine shavings, feathers, chicken poop and spilled food break down into compost. While that mixture may sound gross, it turns into black gold for your garden!
According to the University of Nevada, Reno, adding more organic matter to soil can:
Improve water-holding capacity
Enhance aeration and drainage
Reduce erosion
Improve soil structure
Increase soil biological diversity
This organic matter provides food for soil microbes, which break down nutrients and make them more available to plants. In other words, composted chicken litter feeds your plants more effectively!
How We Use Chicken Compost in Our Gardens
We use chicken litter compost in our flower beds as well. Every fall, after we’ve let the chickens scratch around the last bits of the garden, we throw on some compost that has been composting for at least 6-8 months. Then, over the winter, it does its job breaking down. In the spring, if we feel we need to, we will add a bit more and till it all in. This creates a rich soil ready for spring planting. Our vegetable plants and our flower beds are so gorgeous and full of wonderful food.
Composting in the City
If you’re in an urban area or within city limits, your compost pile may be a bit smaller and that’s okay! I would imagine your flock and garden would be on the smaller side as well. We live on an acreage, so we have a large flock and a large compost pile.
Our very large compost pile! We love to share this goodness with our family and friends as well.
Does Chicken Compost Smell?
One of the most common questions I get is, “Does chicken compost smell?” The answer is no! When done properly, composting doesn’t create a bad odor. Our secret to keeping things fresh is Coop to Garden.
Coop to Garden is an organic fast-acting compost accelerator specially designed to break down chicken litter and bedding in your compost 2x faster!
It contains lemon and lime essential oils, probiotics and patented ingredients to accelerate the recycling of waste. It is effective in a wide range of temperatures and for use in all compost applications.
Until next time, happy gardening friends!
–The Wing Lady
Coop to Garden - Compost Chicken Manure Faster
Coop to Garden is an organic fast-acting compost accelerator specially designed to break down chicken litter in your compost. It contains lemon and lime essential oils, probiotics and patented ingredients to accelerate the recycling of waste. It is effective in a wide range of temperatures and for use in all compost applications.
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