How To Compost Chicken Manure Fast?

Most people use cow dung to improve their plants. But chicken manure is also an important organic fertilizer for your plants. As you know nitrogen is essential for the growth of foliage and chicken manure has the highest amount of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium.

The application of chicken manure in the soil maintains the level of NPK. If you use fresh chicken manure to feed your plants, it will provide 0.5% to 0.9% nitrogen, 0.4% to 0.5% Phosphorus, and 1.5% to 1.7% Potassium in the soil. You will get 8 to 11 pounds of manure from one chicken in a month.

What Is Composting?

During this process, microorganisms break down material naturally and turn it into fertilizer through decomposition. When a microorganism decomposes the organic material of the compost the temperature of the pile starts to increase.

Soon the temperature will reach between 160 to 170° Fahrenheit. When the organic matter is consumed by the bacteria the decomposition process starts to slow down. At this stage that temperature will decrease by about 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

What Nutrients Your Plants Get From Chicken Manure?

For the rapid growth of your plants, it is better to maintain the nutrients in the soil. When you use composted chicken manure you will provide calcium, iron, boron, chlorine, zinc, copper, sulfur, and magnesium to your plants.

If you are a vegetable gardener then you must apply composted chicken manure for the survival of your plants.

Size Of Compost Bin

When you decide to compost the chicken manure at home you need a compost bin. Make sure the compost bin should be at least 1 m cubed as this is an ideal size.

When you are choosing the compost bin you have to consider only one thing; it should be strong enough to hold the content. There is no need to use a posh compost bin. You can also create a cheap compost bin by using leftover fencing material.

In this article, we are going to discuss with you how to compost chicken manure fast so you must try black plastic compost bins as they are small in size and heat well.

Setting Up A Compost System

If you are thinking that composting is a complicated process then you are wrong. You can easily compost manure at home without facing any difficulty. But you have to consider certain factors such as space, moisture, heat, air, and the size of the bin.

SPACE

You should not compromise on the size of the bin. After selecting the bin for composting the next step is choosing the right space for them. Make sure the place you choose for your bins must be in some shade and with good drainage.

MOISTURE

If you want the beneficial bacteria to work best in your compost bin then you should maintain the moisture level. Make sure there must be 50 to 60% moisture in the compost bin.

Rain and intentional watering helps microorganism in decomposition. You should be careful about the pile; it should be damped but not dribbling.

HEAT

Composting material produces 160 to 170 degrees Fahrenheit heat. You can easily check the temperature with the help of a thermometer.

AIRFLOW

The microorganisms play a part in the decomposing process and need airflow to survive. You must turn the compost pile regularly to increase the oxygen level.

In the presence of fresh air, microbes break down the organic material to make a perfect compost. The rate of decomposition increases when you turn the pile once a week.

PARTICLE SIZE

Make sure the size of the particle is smaller so it will decompose very fast and your manure will be composed soon. The best particle size you are using should be less than 2 inches in diameter.

How To Make Perfect Chicken Manure Compost Fast?

The following are the simple and easy steps for making perfect chicken manure compost very fast. For better results, you must follow these steps.

If you want to compost the chicken manure fast then make sure the material you are using must be small in size. the diameter of the material should be ½ to 1 ½ inches.
The ratio of Nitrogen to carbon plays a very important role in a perfect compost make sure there are 30 parts carbon to 1 part nitrogen.

The ideal moisture percentage is 50 for a perfect compost. But it doesn’t mean that you keep the compost soggy. Too much moisture or too much dryness is not good for the best chicken manure compost.
The amount of manure in a compost bin must not exceed 32 inches. If the pile of composting material is too high then a suitable temperature will not be produced by it. If you want to turn the chicken manure into compost very fast then you must not fill the compost bin too high. The ideal temperature is 160 degrees Fahrenheit for rapid decomposing of manure.
Overheating is also a problem you can avoid by turning the pile regularly this act will allow aeration.

For the rapid decomposition process, you should not keep adding to the piles daily. Because already-added material starts the decomposition process and when you have more material it will not be possible for you to get the finished product all at one time.
If you want your manure to decompose nicely then you must maintain the nutrient balance.
If you have done all the steps correctly such as putting your bin in a shady area, maintaining the nutrient balance, and avoiding overfilling the bin then you will see good results as the temperature of the pile starts increasing under the perfect conditions. If you see that the temperature of the pile is not increasing it means something is off. The pile may be too wet or too dry or it may be possible that it doesn’t have enough nitrogen. In case the pile is too wet then you can use a rake to make it dry. If the pile is too dry then you can add some water to make it moist to start the composting process. The brown and green material should be added in a perfect ratio. If you add too much brown material then you must add some grass clippings to balance the composting material.

The smell of the composting manure is earthy. In case you feel the smell of ammonia then it means the pile contains too much nitrogen. In this situation, you should add some sawdust to maintain the carbon-nitrogen ratio. Too much nitrogen can burn the pile before this may happen. You should maintain the level of nitrogen.

Keep Reading:

15 Simple And Inexpensive Homemade Fertilizers

Benefits Of Composted Chicken Manure

Following are the benefits of composted chicken manure in your garden.

Your vegetable garden becomes more productive if you apply chicken composted manure because it contains all the nutrients that are beneficial for your plants.
This organic matter provides food to microbes present in the soil. Composted manure easily breaks down into nutrients and feeds your plants.
Chicken composted manure improves soil water holding capacity. When you apply this soil amendment it will help to create it. The other advantages of compost manure are enhancing drainage and reducing erosion. If you want to improve the structure of the soil by using cheap and inexpensive chemical-free amendments then apply chicken manure.

Chicken manure is the best feed for nitrogen-loving plants as it contains large amounts of Nitrogen. If you are growing peppers, tomatoes, leafy greens, squash, cucumber, sweet corn, and pole beans then you must add composting manure of chicken to get the right benefits.
If you use the manure of a cow then it contains weed seeds that are not good for the health or growth of plants. There is less salt and no weed seeds present in the chicken manure so it is the right option for using as an amendment for your soil. It is good to feed your plants organically so you can protect your plants from harmful chemicals.
Chicken manure is a very cheap way of fertilizing your soil. It is available easily if you are raising chicken. In case you don’t have chicken at home then you can ask for those farmers that have poultry farms. You can also ask for chicken manure from your relatives and friends who keep chickens.

You can store chicken manure for a long period. When your compost is ready you must rest it in a cool and dry place for 2 months.

Drawbacks Of Using Chicken Manures Directly On The Soil

Following are the disadvantages of using chicken manure directly on the soil.

Chicken manure is the best source of NPK nutrients. If you are getting chicken manure from commercial farms then they will feed them with high-nutrition foods. It is better to use manure from the chicken that is raised at home rather than using the manure from a commercial farm.

You should avoid the direct application of chicken manure as it contains harmful bacteria that spread diseases in your plants.
When you apply fresh manure to the soil the heat generated by its application can cause the burning of young seedlings.
The Chicken faeces produce Ammonia Sulphur Dioxide and other gases that are not good for your plants and damage the edible crops. The gases produced by fresh manure also pollute the environment.

For the decomposition process, the organic matter needs oxygen. If you use composted chicken manure then you will not face the problem of shortage of oxygen in the soil.
Fresh chicken manure performs a slow function in feeding the plants because the nutrients are unterminated.