Composting Chicken Manure: A Complete Guide

Have you ever looked at your chicken coop and wondered what to do with all that manure? Here's some great news: what you see isn't waste—it's potential garden gold! Composting chicken manure is one of the most innovative ways to turn your flock's daily "contributions" into nutrient-rich fertilizer that'll make your garden absolutely thrive.

If you've been cleaning out your coop and tossing that manure aside, you're missing out on one of homesteading's best-kept secrets. With the right approach, you can transform what seems like a smelly chore into a valuable resource that'll boost your garden's health and productivity.

Why Compost Chicken Manure?

Your chickens are basically little fertilizer factories, and their "product" is incredibly valuable. But here's the thing—you can't just dump fresh chicken manure directly onto your plants. That would be like giving your garden an energy drink when it needs a balanced meal!

Creates Nutrient-Rich Soil Amendment

Chicken manure is packed with essential nutrients that plants absolutely love. We're talking about nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and a host of trace minerals, especially if you’ve been feeding them high-quality chicken feed. When properly composted, these nutrients become available to your plants gently, sustainably, promoting healthy growth without overwhelming them.

Improves Soil Structure and Health

Composted chicken manure doesn't just feed your plants—it improves your soil's structure! It helps sandy soils retain moisture better and helps clay soils drain more effectively. Plus, it feeds the beneficial microorganisms in your soil, creating a thriving underground ecosystem that supports plant health.

Reduces Waste and Saves Money

Instead of buying expensive fertilizers at the garden center, you can create your premium soil amendment right at home. This is a win-win situation that reduces waste while saving you money and trips to the store.

What You Need to Start Composting Chicken Manure

Don't worry—you don't need fancy equipment or a degree in soil science to get started. You probably already have most of what you need around your homestead.

Choose Your Composting Location

Pick a spot that's convenient to both your coop and your garden. You want somewhere that gets partial sun and has good drainage. You can use a simple three-sided bin, a tumbler, or even just a designated pile area.

Gather Your Materials

You'll need both "brown" and "green" materials. Think of browns as your carbon-rich ingredients (like wood shavings, straw, dried leaves, or cardboard) and greens as your nitrogen-rich materials (like your chicken manure, kitchen scraps, and fresh grass clippings).

Basic Tools

To start, you need a pitchfork or shovel for turning, a hose for moisture control, and a compost thermometer to monitor temperatures closely. That's all you need!

Hot vs. Cold Chicken Manure Composting

When it comes to chicken manure, we need to talk about safety first. Unlike other composting materials, chicken manure can harbor harmful pathogens like E. coli, Salmonella, and Cryptosporidium that can make people and pets seriously ill.

Hot composting is the only method that actively kills these dangerous pathogens. You must turn your pile regularly and monitor moisture and temperature to keep things cooking along at 140-160°F for at least three consecutive days. This high heat destroys disease-causing organisms and gives you safe, finished compost in about 5-6 weeks. If you're composting chicken manure, this is the method we strongly recommend.

Cold composting doesn't generate the high temperatures needed to kill pathogens—it only gradually reduces their numbers over time. If you choose this method, the manure must be aged for at least 6 months (preferably 12 months or longer) before it's safe to use in your garden. This extended aging period allows pathogens to die off naturally.

Step-by-Step: How to Compost Chicken Manure

Ready to turn that chicken manure into garden gold? Here's how to make it happen:

Build Your Foundation

Start with a layer of brown materials like wood shavings or straw. This helps with drainage and air circulation at the bottom of your pile.

Layer Your Materials

Add your chicken manure (remember, this counts as "green" material), then cover with brown materials. Aim for about twice as much brown as green material. If you use wood shavings or straw in your coop, you're already getting a good mix when you clean it out!

Maintain Proper Moisture

Your pile should feel like a wrung-out sponge—moist but not dripping wet. Too dry, and decomposition slows down. Too wet, and you'll get a smelly, anaerobic mess.

Turn and Monitor

For hot composting, turn your pile every few days to keep oxygen flowing. This can be done by moving the compost with a pitchfork, flipping the top to the bottom, and folding the outside of the pile into the center. For cold composting, turning every month or two is plenty. You'll know it's working when the pile shrinks and the materials begin breaking down.

How Long Does It Take for Chicken Manure to Compost?

This is the most important question with chicken manure composting. Fresh chicken manure is considered "hot" because of its high nitrogen content, and using it too soon can burn your plants, but more importantly, it can be dangerous to your health.

For hot composting, your manure can be ready in as little as 5-6 weeks if you maintain proper temperatures of 140-160°F for at least three consecutive days. This high heat is crucial because it's the only way to kill harmful pathogens.

For cold composting, you're looking at a much longer timeline—at least 6 months, preferably 12 months or more. Since cold composting doesn't generate pathogen-killing temperatures, you rely on time and environmental conditions to gradually reduce harmful bacteria. The more extended aging period is essential for safety.

Here's something crucial: even after composting, you must still follow safe application timing. Apply your finished compost no later than 90 days before harvesting crops that don't touch the ground (like trellised tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers) and no later than 120 days before harvesting ground-contact crops (like lettuce, strawberries, and carrots).

When and How to Use Chicken Manure Compost

Once your compost is dark, crumbly, and earthy-smelling (it's not like manure anymore!), it's ready to work its magic in your garden! Let's talk about using it safely.

Important Safety Guidelines:

• Always wear gloves when handling composted manure
  
• Wash all vegetables thoroughly before eating, especially root crops and leafy greens
  
• People at higher risk for foodborne illness should avoid eating raw vegetables from manure-amended gardens. This includes pregnant women, young children, and people with compromised immune systems due to cancer, kidney failure, liver disease, diabetes, or AIDS

Application Timing: The best time to apply composted chicken manure to your garden is in fall after you've harvested your crops. Spread a 1-2 inch layer over your garden beds and let winter weather help work it into the soil. If you want to apply composted chicken manure during the growing season, remember those timing guidelines: apply no later than 90 days before harvesting above-ground crops and 120 days before harvesting ground-contact crops.

Container Plants: Mix the compost with regular potting soil for container plants. Don't use more than 25-30% compost. Remember, this stuff is potent!
Plants that especially love composted chicken manure include tomatoes, peppers, leafy greens, and other heavy feeders. They'll reward you with vigorous growth and better yields.

Explore Chicken Feed Options from Kalmbach Feeds

Want to give your flock the best nutrition possible? The better you feed your chickens, the better quality manure they'll produce for your compost! At Kalmbach Feeds, we've been helping families raise healthy, productive flocks for generations.

Our complete line of chicken feeds provides the balanced nutrition your birds need at every stage of life. From starter feeds for chicks to layer feeds for your egg-producing hens, we have options to keep your flock healthy and happy, which means better compost for your garden!

Do you have questions about raising healthy chickens? We're here to help! Contact us to learn more about our complete line of poultry feeds and expert advice.

Resources:

https://www.kalmbachfeeds.com/collections/poultry  
https://www.kalmbachfeeds.com/collections/poultry/products/organic-henhouse-reserve 
https://extension.oregonstate.edu/ask-extension/featured/composting-chicken-manure  
https://www.epa.gov/recycle/composting-home 
https://extension.unr.edu/publication.aspx?PubID=3028#:~:text=Addition%20of%20organic%20matter%20to,Salmonella%20(Griffiths%2C%202011).  
https://extension.unh.edu/resource/guidelines-using-animal-manures-and-manure-based-composts-garden-fact-sheet 
https://www.kalmbachfeeds.com/collections/poultry/products/chickhouse-reserve?_pos=1&_fid=ad081c6a0&_ss=c
https://www.kalmbachfeeds.com/collections/poultry/products/hi-omegga-layer-crumble?_pos=15&_fid=15b976b7f&_ss=c