Should I let the chickens in?

I am going to be pulling out the plants I currently have in my garden in a couple weeks to start preparing for my winter garden. I am planning on pulling stuff, mostly melon vines, over a span of a couple weeks since my chickens can only eat so much at a time and I don't currently have a compost bin/pile. When it gets down to the last bit, would it be advantageous for me to just put the chickens in there and let the eat and scratch it all up for me or would that put too much raw chicken poop in there?

Depends on how many chickens.
Ive been told that the problem with chicken manure is exposure to the air. The oxygen cause the manure to turn ugly, releasing ammonia nitrate. But, if you cover it with mulch or till it under right away, it doesn't cause the burn. SO you may look into that.

The answer depends on how big of a garden and how many chickens...My garden is, around 100X 50ish. I have 24 chickens. When I let the chickens into the garden for a day, you can't really even notice the poop....So, it probably would not be a problem. Trust me, you will never see your chickens happier. I swear you can see them smile! If you have a small garden and a lot of chickens, just pick a few to put in the garden space. They do a great job loosening the soil. Enjoy!

I am yanking my tomatoes at the end of the month and I have 'temp' chickwire fencing ready for the beds I planted for fall already. I am going to let about 9 go in the tomato bed because so many fell on the ground rotting. Those are going to be some happy chickens.

I'm not planting that bed until spring, so I'm not so worried about fresh poo... I'll be turning the soil with compost when they're done cleaning up the wasted tomatoes.

I got one of these, and made a top for it....out of chicken wire and hardware cloth. If It is going to be super sunny out I put a folded tarp over part of the top, that way the can get into the shade if they want. I can have one or two chickens in it at a time...or six if I want the area tilled up real good. And I can be sure of their relative safety from overhead predators, and they don't go after what I haven't been to harvest yet.

this is what i use http://www.petco.com/product/5992/North-States-Pet-Yard-XT.aspx i don't use it in the hexagon shape, I made it a long rectangle, and it fits onto my beds nicely.

as for the poop, when I move them to the next one I take my spade and just turn it under, not for smell really, but for flies, I want to keep flies away. When I am ready to use the bed again, I lightly till in some compost anyway so it breaks up the concentration of rotting manure. Works for us.

unleash the clucking menace! man just turn 'em loose and watch 'em go to town! but they will completely destroy everything - which is good and bad.

after you can mulch with straw - or what i do... clean out the hen house and pile it on the garden. put fresh straw on top if you are worried about the flies and such - but really that passes pretty quickly. i've been using a 'new to me' method of dumping the dirty litter from the hen, turkey, and goose house directly in the garden - but between and next to.. not ON the plants. working like a dream. i have the worst soil in recorded history so i figured it couldnt get worse.

by next spring you can rack off anything that hasnt composted down. i use it between rows then too

good luck!

davaroo said:

Depends on how many chickens.
Ive been told that the problem with chicken manure is exposure to the air. The oxygen cause the manure to turn ugly, releasing ammonia nitrate. But, if you cover it with mulch or till it under right away, it doesn't cause the burn. SO you may look into that.

Click to expand...

ammonia nitrate is the whole reason my dad fertilizes all his fields with chicken manure. Chicken manure is an excellent source and much cheaper than buying the fertilizer, which became more expensive and harder to get after Oklahoma City. He starts getting it in the fall and lets it sit on piles all winter till early spring when he spreads it. I just mix in some wood shavings in my garden, except for the corn which I allow to just sit because it likes more in the soil.

ams3651 said:

davaroo said:

Depends on how many chickens.
Ive been told that the problem with chicken manure is exposure to the air. The oxygen cause the manure to turn ugly, releasing ammonia nitrate. But, if you cover it with mulch or till it under right away, it doesn't cause the burn. SO you may look into that.

Click to expand...

ammonia nitrate is the whole reason my dad fertilizes all his fields with chicken manure. Chicken manure is an excellent source and much cheaper than buying the fertilizer, which became more expensive and harder to get after Oklahoma City. He starts getting it in the fall and lets it sit on piles all winter till early spring when he spreads it. I just mix in some wood shavings in my garden, except for the corn which I allow to just sit because it likes more in the soil.

Click to expand...

Agreed. But in it's raw, chicken poop form on green growing plants, it can be harsh - too harsh. Composted manure that sits around for a season before use 'taint the same thing. Ditto for manure that goes straight into the ground to 'sweeten.'

Leastways, that's what Ive been told.

davaroo said:

ams3651 said:

davaroo said:

Depends on how many chickens.
Ive been told that the problem with chicken manure is exposure to the air. The oxygen cause the manure to turn ugly, releasing ammonia nitrate. But, if you cover it with mulch or till it under right away, it doesn't cause the burn. SO you may look into that.

Click to expand...

ammonia nitrate is the whole reason my dad fertilizes all his fields with chicken manure. Chicken manure is an excellent source and much cheaper than buying the fertilizer, which became more expensive and harder to get after Oklahoma City. He starts getting it in the fall and lets it sit on piles all winter till early spring when he spreads it. I just mix in some wood shavings in my garden, except for the corn which I allow to just sit because it likes more in the soil.

Click to expand...

Agreed. But in it's raw, chicken poop form on green growing plants, it can be harsh - too harsh. Composted manure that sits around for a season before use 'taint the same thing. Ditto for manure that goes straight into the ground to 'sweeten.'

Leastways, that's what Ive been told.

Click to expand...

I think the point of the discussion is to let them loss on beds that are 'used' beds that are only going to take on 'some' poo before any fall planting, or some before we plant next spring.

I think long as the birds stay away from fresh plantings its a smart move. Its perfect for putting plants in the ground later on.

I had 'several' cats using my garden as a litter box most of the summer... my plants made it out pretty good anyways. So I wouldn't worry about a few birds. I wouldn't let lose like 20 or so in a small area.... that's over kill!

Since I am in So. California, I will be planting year-round. The time in between the chickens being in there and my next round of planting will probably only be about 2-3 weeks. It is a space about 15x25 and I have 10 chickens right now. I would have to sit out there with them while they are in the garden to make sure they don't get out and start wrecking my lawn so I was thinking of putting them in there for a few consecutive days but only for a few hours at a time.