Chicken Shit Is Really Useful
This spring, I decided to design and maintain an eco-friendly garden in my backyard – and a large part of this project involved using chickens to fertilize the soil and help process my compost heap. All of their pecking, scratching and depleting backyard resources can be redirected and put into one pile of carbon and nitrogen for them to feast on. The result of their efforts is fresh, nutrient-rich soil that can only be produced with a combination of compost and chickens.
My chicken and composting journey began when I flew to Florida to survive the pandemic. During this process, I learned the following:
- Cubs need special care, including those under the heat lamp, so that they are warm and healthy.
- Adding electrolytes to the water helps the chicks stay hydrated.
- Chickens are dirty. Very messy.
- There is a hefty price to pay for their care – from incandescent light bulbs to brooders to chicken coops – there is something to build or buy in advance.
- Chickens eat, eat and eat. They are also shit, shit and shit.
This last point is where bringing them in to help with my composting efforts paid off. Getting them to peck on the compost is a great way to cut down on the amount of feed they need, and the resulting manure is a great addition to the leftover compost because it is so high in nitrogen. This is important because the science behind the ideal compost heap relies on the ratio of carbon to nitrogen.
The alchemy, if you’re wondering, is pretty simple: mix a bunch of one part green matter (nitrogen) and 24 parts brown matter (carbon). Leave it out in the sun, stirring occasionally and adding water as needed to keep it moist and you’ll end up with nutrient-rich soil. The time it takes for the soil to develop depends on the rate of decomposition. You can research the approximate carbon to nitrogen ratio of the specific materials you use, or you can rely on your sense of smell and observation to gauge how balanced your pile is. If the smell becomes rather unpleasant, add another brown substance to the mixture; if your pile doesn’t turn into soil, add more greenery to the mixture. The plus: more sun, more water and more stirring.
Watch the video above to learn more about the science behind this natural process, as well as some tips and tricks to keep in mind if you want to try it yourself.